(R. 


REESE    LIBRARY 


T 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

Received 
Accessions  Nof,  Shelf' No. 


THE     HOME    ACRE 


THE    HOME   ACRE 


BY 


EDWARD    P.  ROE 

// 

AUTHOR  OF  "BARRIERS  BURNED  AWAY,"  "SUCCESS  WITH  SMALL 

FRUITS,"  "NATURE'S  SERIAL  STORY,"  "HE  FELL  IN 

LOVE  WITH  His  WIFE,"  "Miss  Lou,"  ETC. 


NEW   YORK 

DODD,  MEAD,  AND  COMPANY 
1889 


Copyright,  18S6  and  1887 
BY  HARPER  AND  BROTHERS 

Copyright,  1889 
BY  DODD,  MEAD,  AND  COMPANY 


All  rights  reserved 


JOHN  WILSON  AND  SON,  CAMBRIDGE 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGB 

I.  TREE-PLANTING 7 

II.   FRUIT-TREES  AND  GRASS 35 

III.  THE  GARDEN 59 

IV.  THE  VINEYARD  AND  ORCHARD 87 

V.  THE  RASPBERRY 115 

VI.  THE  CURRANT ;  139 

VII.  STRAWBERRIES .'    .    .  165 

VIII.  THE  KITCHEN-GARDEN 195 

IX.  THE  KITCHEN-GARDEN    (Concluded}     .    .    .  219 


UNIVEKe 

THE    HOME   ACRE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

TREE-PLANTING. 

LAND  hunger  is  so  general  that  it  may  be 
regarded  as  a  natural  craving.  Artificial 
modes  of  life,  it  is  true,  can  destroy  it,  but  it  is 
apt  to  reassert  itself  in  later  generations.  To  tens 
of  thousands  of  bread-winners  in  cities  a  country 
home  is  the  dream  of  the  future,  the  crown  and 
reward  of  their  life-toil.  Increasing  numbers  are 
taking  what  would  seem  to  be  the  wiser  course, 
and  are  combining  rural  pleasures  and  advantages 
with  their  business.  As  the  questions  of  rapid 
transit  are  solved,  the  welfare  of  children  will  turn 
the  scale  more  and  more  often  against  the  con- 
ventional city  house  or  flat.  A  home  can  be 
created  in  rented  dwellings  and  apartments;  but 
a  home  for  which  we  have  the  deed,  a  cottage 
surrounded  by  trees,  flowers,  lawn,  and  garden, 
is  the  refuge  which  best  satisfies  the  heart.  By 
means  of  such  a  suburban  nook  we  can  keep  up 


8  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

our  relations  with  Nature  and  all  her  varied  and 
health-giving  life.  The  tired  man  returning  from 
business  finds  that  his  excited  brain  will  not  cease 
to  act.  He  can  enjoy  restoring  rest  in  the  com- 
plete diversion  of  his  thoughts ;  he  can  think  of 
this  tree  or  that  plant,  and  how  he  can  fill  to 
advantage  unoccupied  spaces  with  other  trees, 
flowers,  and  vegetables.  If  there  is  a  Jersey  cow 
to  welcome  him  with  her  placid  trust,  a  good 
roadster  to  whinny  for  an  airing,  and  a  flock  of 
chickens  to  clamor  about  his  feet  for  their  supper, 
his  jangling  nerves  will  be  quieted,  in  spite  of  all 
the  bulls  and  bears  of  Wall  Street.  Best  of  all,  he 
will  see  that  his  children  have  air  and  space  in 
which  to  grow  naturally,  healthfully.  His  fruit- 
trees  will  testify  to  his  wisdom  in  providing  a 
country  home.  For  instance,  he  will  observe  that 
if  sound  plums  are  left  in  contact  with  stung  and 
decaying  specimens,  they  too  will  be  infected  ;  he 
will  see  that  too  close  crowding  renders  the  pros- 
pect for  good  fruit  doubtful ;  and,  by  natural  tran- 
sition of  thought,  will  be  glad  that  his  boys  and 
girls  are  not  shut  in  to  the  fortuitous  associations 
of  hall-way  and  street. 

The  area  of  land  purchased  will  depend  largely 
on  the  desires  and  purse  of  the  buyer ;  but  about 
one  acre  appears  to  satisfy  the  majority  of  people. 
This  amount  is  not  so  great  that  the  business  man 


TREE-PLANTING.  9 

is  burdened  with  care,  nor  is  its  limit  so  small  that 
he  is  cramped  and  thwarted   by  line  fences.     If 
he  can  give  to  his  bit  of  Eden  but  little  thought 
and  money,  he  will  find  that  an  acre  can  be  so 
laid  out  as  to  entail  comparatively  small  expense 
in  either  the  one  or  the  other;  if  he  has  the  time 
and  taste  to  make  the  land  his  play-ground  as  well 
as  that  of  his  children,  scope  is  afforded  for  an 
almost  infinite  variety  of  pleasing  labors  and  in- 
teresting  experiments.      When  we   come   to   co- 
work  with   Nature,   all  we   do    has   some   of  the 
characteristics  of  an  experiment.     The   labor   of 
the  year  is  a  game  of  skill,  into  which  also  enter 
the  fascinating  elements  of  apparent  chance.  What 
a  tree,  a  flower,  or  vegetable  bed  will  give,  depends 
chiefly  upon  us;   yet  all  the  vicissitudes  of  dew, 
rain,  frost,  and  sun,  have  their  part  in  the  result. 
We  play  the  game  with  Nature,  and  she  will  usually 
let  us  win  if  we  are  not  careless,  ignorant,  or  stupid. 
She  keeps  up  our  zest  by  never   permitting  the 
game  to  be  played  twice  under  the  same  condi- 
tions.    We  can  no  more  carry  on  our  garden  this 
season  precisely  as  we  did  last  year  than  a  captain 
can  sail  his  ship  exactly  as  he  did  on  the  preceding 
voyage.     A  country  home  makes  even  the  weather 
interesting;  and  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  mercury 
is  watched  with   scarcely  less   solicitude  than  the 
mutations  of  the  market. 


IO  THE    HOME   ACRE. 

In  this  chapter  and  in  those  which  may  ensue  I 
merely  hope  to  make  some  useful  suggestions  and 
give  practical  advice,  —  the  result  of  experience, 
my  own  and  others',  —  which  the  reader  may  carry 
out  and  modify  according  to  his  judgment. 

We  will  suppose  that  an  acre  has  been  bought ; 
that  it  is  comparatively  level,  with  nothing  of 
especial  value  upon  it,  —  in  brief,  that  the  home 
and  its  surroundings  are  still  to  be  created. 

It  is  not  within  my  design  to  treat  of  the  dwell- 
ing, its  architecture,  etc.,  but  we  shall  have  some- 
thing to  say  farther  on  in  regard  to  its  location. 
Before  purchasing,  the  most  careful  investigations 
should  be  made  as  to  the  healthfulness  of  the 
region  and  the  opportunities  for  thorough  drain- 
age. Having  bought  the  acre,  the  question  of 
removing  all  undue  accumulations  of  water  on  or 
beneath  the  surface  should  be  attended  to  at  first. 
The  dry  appearance  of  the  soil  during  much  of 
the  year  may  be  misleading.  It  should  be  re- 
membered that  there  are  equinoctial  storms  and 
melting  snows.  Superabundant  moisture  at  every 
period  should  have  channels  of  immediate  escape, 
for  moisture  in  excess  is  an  injury  to  plant  as  well 
as  to  family  life;  while  thoroughly  and  quickly 
drained  land  endures  drought  far  better  than  that 
which  is  rendered  heavy  and  sour  by  water  stag- 
nating beneath  the  surface.  Tile-drains  are  usually 


TREE-PLANTING.  1 1 

the  cheapest  and  most  effective ;  but  if  there  are 
stones  and  rocks  upon  the  place,  they  can  be 
utilized  and  disposed  of  at  the  same  time  by  their 
burial  in  ditches,  —  and  they  should  be  covered  so 
deeply  that  a  plough,  although  sunk  to  the  beam, 
can  pass  over  them.  Tiles  or  the  top  of  a  stone 
drain  should  be  at  least  two  feet  below  the  sur- 
face. If  the  ground  of  the  acre  is  underlaid  with 
a  porous  subsoil,  there  is  usually  an  adequate 
natural  drainage. 

Making  haste  slowly  is  often  the  quickest  way. 
to  desired  results.  It  is  the  usual  method  to  erect 
the  dwelling  first,  and  afterwards  to  subdue  and 
enrich  the  ground  gradually.  This  in  many  in- 
stances may  prove  the  best  course;  but  when  it 
is  practicable,  I  should  advise  that  building  be 
deferred  until  the  land  (with  the  exception  of  the 
spaces  to  be  occupied  with  the  house  and  barn) 
can  be  covered  with  a  heavy  dressing  of  barn-yard 
manure,  and  that  this  be  ploughed  under  in  the 
autumn.  Such  general  enriching  of  the  soil  may 
seem  a  waste  in  view  of  the  carriage-drive  and 
walks  yet  to  be  laid  out ;  but  this  will  not  prove 
true.  It  should  be  remembered  that  while  certain 
parts  of  the  place  are  to  be  kept  bare  of  surface- 
vegetation,  they  nevertheless  will  form  a  portion 
of  the  root-pasturage  of  the  shade  and  fruit  trees. 
The  land,  also,  can  be  more  evenly  and  deeply 


12  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

ploughed  before  obstructions  are  placed  upon  it, 
and  roots,  pestiferous  weeds,  and  stones  removed 
with  greatest  economy.  Moreover,  the  good  ini- 
tial enriching  is  capital,  hoarded  in  the  soil,  to 
start  with.  On  many  new  places  I  have  seen 
trees  and  plants  beginning  a  feeble  and  uncer- 
tain life,  barely  existing  rather  than  growing, 
because  their  roots  found  the  soil  like  a  table 
with  dishes  but  without  food.  If  the  fertilizer  is 
ploughed  under  in  the  autumn,  again  mixed  with 
the  soil  by  a  second  ploughing  in  the  spring,  it 
will  be  decomposed  and  ready  for  immediate  use 
by  every  rootlet  in  contact  with  it.  Now,  as  far- 
mers say,  the  "  land  is  in  good  heart,"  and  it  will 
cheer  its  owner's  heart  to  see  the  growth  promptly 
made  by  whatever  is  properly  planted.  Instead 
of  losing  time,  he  has  gained  years.  Suppose 
the  acre  to  have  been  bought  in  September,  and 
treated  as  I  have  indicated,  it  is  ready  for  a  gen- 
erous reception  of  plants  and  trees  the  following 
spring. 

Possibly  at  the  time  of  purchase  the  acre  may 
be  covered  with  coarse  grass,  weeds,  or  under- 
growth of  some  kind.  In  this  case,  after  the  ini- 
tial ploughing,  the  cultivation  for  a  season  of  some 
such  crop  as  corn  or  potatoes  may  be  of  great 
advantage  in  clearing  the  land,  and  the  proceeds 
of  the  crop  would  partially  meet  expenses.  If  the 


TREE-PLANTING.  1 3 

aim  is  merely  to  subdue  and  clean  the  land  as 
quickly  as  possible,  nothing  is  better  than  buck- 
wheat, sown  thickly  and  ploughed  under  just  as  it 
conies  into  blossom.  It  is  the  nature  of  this  ram- 
pant-growing grain  to  kill  out  everything  else  and 
leave  the  soil  light  and  mellow.  If  the  ground  is 
encumbered  with  many  stones  and  rocks,  the  ques- 
tion of  clearing  it  is  more  complicated.  They  can 
be  used,  and  often  sold  to  advantage,  for  building 
purposes.  In  some  instances  I  have  seen  laboring- 
men  clear  the  most  unpromising  plots  of  ground 
by  burying  all  rocks  and  stones  deeply  beneath  the 
surface,  —  men,  too,  who  had  no  other  time  for  the 
task  except  the  brief  hours  before  and  after  their 
daily  toil. 

I  shall  give  no  distinct  plan  for  laying  out  the 
ground.  The  taste  of  the  owner,  or  more  proba- 
bly that  of  his  wife,  will  now  come  into  play. 
Their  ideas  also  will  be  modified  by  many  local 
circumstances, — as,  for  instance,  the  undulations  of 
the  land,  if  there  are  any ;  proximity  to  neighbors, 
etc.  If  little  besides  shade  and  lawn  is  desired, 
this  fact  will  have  a  controlling  influence ;  if,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  proprietor  wishes  to  make  his  acre 
as  productive  as  possible,  the  house  will  be  built 
nearer  the  street,  wider  open  space  will  be  left  for 
the  garden,  and  fruit-trees  will  predominate  over 
those  grown  merely  for  shade  and  beauty.  There 


14  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

are  few  who  would  care  to  follow  a  plan  which 
many  others  had  adopted.  Indeed,  it  would  be 
the  natural  wish  of  persons  of  taste  to  impart 
something  of  their  own  individuality  to  their  rural 
home ;  and  the  effort  to  do  this  would  afford  much 
agreeable  occupation.  Plates  giving  the  elevation 
and  arrangement  of  country  homes  can  be  studied 
by  the  evening  lamp ;  visits  to  places  noted  for 
their  beauty,  simplicity,  and  good  taste  will  afford 
motives  for  many  a  breezy  drive ;  while  useful  sug- 
gestions from  what  had  been  accomplished  by 
others  may  repay  for  an  extended  journey.  Such 
observations  and  study  will  cost  little  more  than 
an  agreeable  expenditure  of  time;  and  surely  a 
home  is  worth  careful  thought.  It  then  truly 
becomes  your  home,  —  something  that  you  have 
evolved  with  loving  effort.  Dear  thoughts  of  wife 
and  children  enter  into  its  very  materiality ;  walks 
are  planned  with  a  loving  consciousness  of  the 
feet  which  are  to  tread  them,  and  trees  planted 
with  prophetic  vision  of  the  groups  that  will  gather 
beneath  the  shade.  This  could  scarcely  be  true 
if  the  acre  was  turned  over  to  architect,  builders, 
and  landscape-gardeners,  with  an  agreement  that 
you  should  have  possession  at  a  specified  time. 

We  will  suppose  that  it  is  early  spring,  that  the 
ground  has  received  its  second  ploughing,  and 
that  the  carriage-drive  and  the  main  walks  have 


6tJ*r 

TREE-PLANtjNG.  1 5 

been  marked  out  on  paper,  or,  better  still,  on  a 
carefully  considered  map.  There  is  now  so  much 
to  do  that  one  is  almost  bewildered ;  and  the  old 
saying,  "  Rome  was  not  built  in  a  day,"  is  a  good 
thing  to  remember.  An  orderly  succession  of 
labor  will  bring  beauty  and  comfort  in  good  time, 
especially  if  essential  or  foundation  labors  are  first 
well  performed.  Few  things  will  prove  more  sat- 
isfactory than  dry,  hard,  smooth  carriage-roads 
and  walks.  These,  with  their  curves,  can  be  care- 
fully staked  out,  the  surface-earth  between  the 
stakes  to  the  depth  of  four  or  five  inches  carted 
to  the  rear  of  the  place  near  the  stable,  or  the 
place  where  the  stable  is  to  be.  Of  the  value  of 
this  surface-soil  we  shall  speak  presently,  and  will 
merely  remark  in  passing  that  it  is  amply  worth  the 
trouble  of  saving.  Its  removal  leaves  the  beds  of 
the  drive-way  and  'walks  depressed  several  inches 
below  the  surrounding  surface.  Fill  these  shallow 
excavations  with  little  stones,  the  larger  in  the 
bottom,  the  smaller  on  top,  and  cover  all  with 
gravel.  You  now  have  roads  and  walks  that  will 
be  dry  and  hard  even  in  oozy  March,  and  you  can 
stroll  about  your  place  the  moment  the  heaviest 
shower  is  over.  The  greater  first  cost  will  be  more 
than  made  good  by  the  fact  that  scarcely  a  weed 
can  start  or  grow  on  pathways  thus  treated.  All 
they  will  need  is  an  occasional  rounding  up  and 
smoothing  with  a  rake. 


1 6  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

While  this  labor  is  going  on  you  can  begin  the 
planting  of  trees.  To  this  task  I  would  earnestly 
ask  careful  attention.  Your  house  can  be  buiit 
in  a  summer;  but  it  requires  a  good  part  of  a  cen- 
tury to  build  the  best  trees  into  anything  like 
perfection. 

The  usual  tendency  is  to  plant  much  too  closely. 
Observe  well-developed  trees,  and  see  how  wide  a 
space  they  require.  There  is  naturally  an  eager 
wish  for  shade  as  soon  as  possible,  and  a  desire  to 
banish  from  surroundings  an  aspect  of  bareness. 
These  purposes  can,  it  is  true,  often  be  accom- 
plished by  setting  out  more  trees  at  first  than 
could  mature,  and  by  taking  out  one  and  another 
from  time  to  time  when  they  begin  to  interfere 
with  each  other's  growth.  One  symmetrical,  noble 
tree,  however,  is  certainly  worth  more  than  a  dozen 
distorted,  misshapen  specimens.  If  given  space, 
every  kind  of  tree  and  shrub  will  develop  its  own 
individuality;  and  herein  lies  one  of  their  greatest 
charms.  If  the  oak  typifies  manhood,  the  droop- 
ing elm  is  equally  suggestive  of  feminine  grace, 
while  the  sugar-maple,  prodigal  of  its  rich  juices, 
tasselled  bloom,  and  winged  seeds,  reminds  us  of 
wholesome,  cheerful  natures.  Even  when  dying, 
its  foliage  takes  on  the  earliest  and  richest  hues 
of  autumn. 

The  trees  about  our  door  become  in  a  sense  our 


TREE-  PLANTING.  I  / 

companions.  They  appeal  to  the  eye,  fancy,  and 
feelings  of  different  people  differently.  Therefore 
I  shall  leave  the  choice  of  arboreal  associates  to 
to  those  who  are  to  plant  them,  —  a  choice  best 
guided  by  observation  of  trees.  Why  should  you 
not  plant  those  you  like  the  best,  those  which  are 
the  most  congenial? 

A  few  suggestions,  however,  may  be  useful.  I 
would  advise  the  reader  not  to  be  in  too  great 
haste  to  fill  up  his  grounds.  While  there  are  trees 
to  which  his  choice  reverts  almost  instantly,  there, 
are  probably  many  other  beautiful  varieties  with 
which  he  is  not  acquainted.  If  he  has  kept  space 
for  the  planting  of  something  new  every  spring  and 
fall,  he  has  done  much  to  preserve  his  zest  in  his 
rural  surroundings,  and  to  give  a  pleasing  direction 
to  his  summer  observation.  He  is  ever  on  the 
alert  to  discover  trees  and  shrubs  that  satisfy  his 
taste. 

During  the  preparation  of  this  book  I  visited  the 
grounds  of  Mr.  A.  S.  Fuller,  at  Ridgewood,  N.  J., 
and  for  an  hour  or  two  I  broke  the  tenth  com- 
mandment in  spite  of  myself.  I  was  surrounded 
by  trees  from  almost  every  portion  of  the  north- 
ern temperate  zone,  from  Oregon  to  Japan ;  and 
in  Mr.  Fuller  I  had  a  guide  whose  sympathy 
with  his  arboreal  pets  was  only  equalled  by  his 
knowledge  of  their  characteristics.  All  who  love 


1 8  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

trees  should  possess  his  book  entitled  "  Practical 
Forestry."  If  it  could  only  be  put  into  the  hands 
of  law-makers,  and  they  compelled  to  learn  much 
of  its  contents  by  heart,  they  would  cease  to  be 
more  or  less  conscious  traitors  to  their  country  in 
allowing  the  destruction  of  forests.  They  might 
avert  the  verdict  of  the  future,  and  prevent  poster- 
ity from  denouncing  the  irreparable  wrong  which 
is  now  permitted  with  impunity.  The  Arnolds  of 
to-day  are  those  who  have  the  power  to  save  the 
trees,  yet  fail  to  do  so. 

Japan  appears  to  be  doing  as  much  to  adorn 
our  lawns  and  gardens  as  our  drawing-rooms ;  and 
from  this  and  other  foreign  lands  much  that  is 
beautiful  or  curious  is  coming  annually  to  our 
shores.  At  the  same  time  I  was  convinced  of  the 
wisdom  of  Mr.  Fuller's  appreciation  of  our  native 
trees.  In  few  instances  should  we  have  to  go  far 
from  home  to  find  nearly  all  that  we  wanted  in 
beautiful  variety,  —  maples,  dogwoods,  scarlet  and 
chestnut  oaks,  the  liquid-amber,  the  whitewood  or 
tulip  tree,  white  birch,  and  hornbeam,  or  the  hop- 
tree  ;  not  to  speak  of  the  evergreens  and  shrubs 
indigenous  to  our  forests.  Perhaps  it  is  not  gener- 
ally known  that  the  persimmon,  so  well  remem- 
bered by  old  campaigners  in  Virginia,  will  grow 
readily  in  this  latitude.  There  are  forests  of  this 
tree  around  Paterson,  N.  J.,  and  it  has  been 


TREE-PLANTING.  19 

known  to  endure  twenty-seven  degrees  below  zero. 
It  is  a  handsome  tree  at  any  season,  and  its  fruit  in 
November  caused  much  straggling  from  our  line 
of  march  in  the  South.  Then  there  is  our  clean- 
boled,  graceful  beech,  whose  smooth  white  bark 
has  received  so  many  tender  confidences.  In  the 
neighborhood  of  a  village  you  will  rarely  find  one 
of  these  trees  whereon  is  not  linked  the  names  of 
lovers  that  have  sat  beneath  the  shade.  Indeed  I 
have  found  mementos  of  trysts  or  rambles  deep 
in  the  forest  of  which  the  faithful  beech  has  kept 
the  record  until  the  lovers  were  old  or  dead.  On 
an  immense  old  beech  in  Tennessee  there  is  an 
inscription  which,  while  it  suggests  a  hug,  pre- 
sents to  the  fancy  an  experience  remote  from  a 
lover's  embrace.  It  reads,  "  D.  Boone  cUled  bar 
on  tree." 

There  is  one  objection  to  the  beech  which  also 
lies  against  the  white  oak,  —  it  does  not  drop  its 
leaves  within  the  space  of  a  few  autumn  days. 
The  bleached  foliage  is  falling  all  winter  long, 
thus  giving  the  ground  near  an  untidy  aspect. 
With  some,  the  question  of  absolute  neatness  is 
paramount ;  with  others,  leaves  are  clean  dirt,  and 
their  rustle  in  the  wind  does  not  cease  to  be  music 
even  after  they  have  fallen. 

Speaking  of  native  trees  and  shrubs,  we  shall  do 
well  to  use  our  eyes  carefully  during  our  summer 


2O  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

walks  and  drives ;  for  if  we  do,  we  can  scarcely  fail 
to  fall  in  love  with  types  and  varieties  growing 
wild.  They  will  thrive  just  as  well  on  the  acre  if 
properly  removed.  In  a  sense  they  bring  the 
forest  with  them,  and  open  vistas  at  our  door  deep 
into  the  heart  of  Nature.  The  tree  is  not  only  a 
thing  of  beauty  in  itself,  but  it  represents  to  the 
fancy  all  its  wild  haunts  the  world  over. 

In  gratifying  our  taste  for  native  trees  we  need 
not  confine  ourselves  to  those  indigenous  to  our 
own  locality.  From  the  nurseries  we  can  obtain 
specimens  that  beautify  other  regions  of  our 
broad  land ;  as,  for  instance,  the  Kentucky  yellow- 
wood,  the  papaw,  the  Judas-tree,  and,  in  the  lati- 
ttide  of  New  Jersey  and  southward,  the  holly. 

In  many  instances  the  purchaser  of  the  acre 
may  find  a  lasting  pleasure  in  developing  a  spe- 
cialty. He  may  desire  to  gather  about  him  all  the 
drooping  or  weeping  trees  that  will  grow  in  his 
latitude,  or  he  may  choose  to  turn  his  acre  largely 
into  a  nut-orchard,  and  delight  his  children  with 
a  harvest  which  they  will  gather  with  all  the  zest 
of  the  frisky  red  squirrel.  If  one  could  succeed 
in  obtaining  a  bearing  tree  of  Hale's  paper-shell 
hickory-nut,  he  would  have  a  prize  indeed.  In- 
creasing attention  is  given  to  the  growing  of  nut- 
trees  in  our  large  nurseries,  and  there  would  be  no 
difficulty  in  obtaining  a  supply. 


TREE-PLANTING.  21 

In  passing  from  this  subject  of  choice  in  decidu- 
ous trees  and  shrubs,  I  would  suggest,  in  addition 
to  visits  to  woods  and  copse,  to  the  well-orna- 
mented places  of  men  who  have  long  gratified  a 
fine  taste  in  this  respect,  that  the  reader  also  make 
time  to  see  occasionally  a  nursery  like  that  of 
S.  B.  Parsons  &  Co.,  at  Flushing,  N.  Y.  There  is 
no  teaching  like  that  of  the  eyes ;  and  the  amateur 
who  would  do  a  bit  of  landscape-gardening  about 
his  own  home  learns  what  he  would  like  and  what 
he  can  do  by  seeing  shrubs  and  trees  in  their 
various  stages  of  growth  and  beauty. 

I  shall  treat  the  subject  of  evergeeens  at  the 
close  of  this  chapter. 

As  a  rule,  I  have  not  much  sympathy  with  the 
effort  to  set  out  large  trees,  in  the  hope  of  ob- 
taining shade  more  quickly.  The  trees  have  to 
be  trimmed  up  and  cut  back  so  greatly  that  their 
symmetry  is  often  destroyed.  They  are  also  apt 
to  be  checked  in  their  growth  so  seriously  by  such 
removal  that  a  slender  sapling,  planted  at  the  same 
time,  overtakes  and  passes  them.  I  prefer  a  young 
tree,  straight-stemmed,  healthy,  and  typical  of  its 
species  or  variety.  Then  we  may  watch  its  rapid 
natural  development  as  we  would  that  of  a  child. 
Still,  when  large  trees  can  be  removed  in  winter 
with  a  great  ball  of  frozen  earth  that  insures  the 
preservation  of  the  fibrous  roots,  much  time  can 


22  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

be  saved.  It  should  ever  be  remembered  that 
prompt,  rapid  growth  of  the  transplanted  tree 
depends  on  two  things,  —  plenty  of  small  fibrous 
roots,  and  a  fertile  soil  to  receive  them.  It  usually 
happens  that  the  purchaser  employs  a  local  citi- 
zen to  aid  in  putting  his  ground  in  order.  In 
every  rural  neighborhood  there  are  smart  men,  — 
"  smart "  is  the  proper  adjective ;  for  they  are 
neither  sagacious  nor  trustworthy,  and  there  is 
ever  a  dismal  hiatus  between  their  promises  and 
performance.  Such  men  lie  in  wait  for  new- 
comers, to  take  advantage  of  their  inexperience 
and  necessary  absence.  They  will  assure  their 
confiding  employers  that  they  are  beyond  learning 
anything  new  in  the  planting  of  trees,  —  which  is 
true,  in  a  sinister  sense.  They  will  leave  roots 
exposed  to  sun  and  wind,  —  in  brief,  pay  no  more 
attention  to  them  than  a  baby-farmer  would  bestow 
on  an  infant's  appetite ;  and  then,  when  convenient, 
thrust  them  into  a  hole  scarcely  large  enough  for 
a  post.  They  expect  to  receive  their  money  long 
before  the  dishonest  character  of  their  work  can 
be  discovered.  The  number  of  trees  which  this 
class  of  men  have  dwarfed  or  killed  outright  would 
make  a  forest.  The  result  of  a  well-meaning  yet 
ignorant  man's  work  might  be  equally  unsatis- 
factory. Therefore  the  purchaser  of  the  acre 
should  know  how  a  tree  should  be  planted,  and 


TREE-PLANTING.  23 

see  to  it  himself;  or  he  should  by  careful  inquiry 
select  a  man  for  the  task  who  could  bring  testi- 
monials from  those  to  whom  he  had  rendered  like 
services  in  the  past. 

The  hole  destined  to  receive  a  shade  or  fruit 
tree  should  be  at  least  three  feet  in  diameter  and 
two  feet  deep.  It  then  should  be  partially  filled 
with  good  surface  soil,  upon  which  the  tree  should 
stand,  so  that  its  roots  could  extend  naturally  ac- 
cording to  their  original  growth.  Good  fine  loam 
should  be  sifted  through  and  over  them,  and  they 
should  not  be  permitted  to  come  in  contact  with 
decaying  matter  or  coarse,  unfermented  manure. 
The  tree  should  be  set  as  deeply  in  the  soil  as  it 
stood  when  first  taken  up.  As  the  earth  is  thrown 
gently  through  and  over  the  roots  it  should  be 
packed  lightly  against  them  with  the  foot,  and 
water,  should  the  season  be  rather  dry  and  warm, 
poured  in  from  time  to  time  to  settle  the  fine  soil 
about  them.  The  surface  should  be  levelled  at 
last  with  a  slight  dip  towards  the  tree,  so  that  spring 
and  summer  rains  may  be  retained  directly  about 
the  roots.  Then  a  mulch  of  coarse  manure  is 
helpful,  for  it  keeps  the  surface  moist,  and  its  rich- 
ness will  reach  the  roots  gradually  in  a  diluted 
form.  A  mulch  of  straw,  leaves,  or  coarse  hay  is 
better  than  none  at  all.  After  being  planted,  three 
stout  stakes  should  be  inserted  firmly  in  the  earth 


24  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

at  the  three  points  of  a  triangle,  the  tree  being  its 
centre.  Then  by  a  rope  of  straw  or  some  soft 
material  the  tree  should  be  braced  firmly  between 
the  protecting  stakes,  and  thus  it  is  kept  from 
being  whipped  around  by  the  wind.  Should  pe- 
riods of  drought  ensue  during  the  growing  season, 
it  would  be  well  to  rake  the  mulch  one  side,  and 
saturate  the  ground  around  the  young  tree  with  an 
abundance  of  water,  and  the  mulch  afterwards 
spread  as  before.  Such  watering  is  often  essential, 
and  it  should  be  thorough.  Unskilled  persons 
usually  do  more  harm  than  good  by  their  half- 
way measures  in  this  respect. 

Speaking  of  trees,  it  may  so  happen  that  the 
acre  is  already  in  forest.  Then,  indeed,  there 
should  be  careful  discrimination  in  the  use  of  the 
axe.  It  may  be  said  that  a  fine  tree  is  in  the  way 
of  the  dwelling.  Perhaps  the  proposed  dwelling 
is  in  the  way  of  the  tree.  In  England  the  work 
of  "  groving,"  or  thinning  out  trees,  is  carried  to 
the  perfection  of  a  fine  art.  One  shudders  at  the 
havoc  which  might  be  made  by  a  stolid  laborer. 
Indeed,  to  nearly  all  who  could  be  employed  in 
preparing  a  wooded  acre  for  habitation,  a  tree 
would  be  looked  upon  as  little  more  than  so  much 
cord-wood  or  lumber. 

If  I  had  a  wooded  acre  I  should  study  the  trees 
most  carefully  before  coming  to  any  decision  as 


TREE-PLANTING.  25 

to  the  situation  of  the  dwelling  and  out-buildings. 
Having  removed  those  obviously  unworthy  to  re- 
main, I  should  put  in  the  axe  very  thoughtfully 
among  the  finer  specimens,  remembering  that  I 
should  be  under  the  soil  before  Nature  could  build 
others  like  them. 

In  the  fitting  up  of  this  planet  as  the  home  of 
mankind  it  would  appear  that  the  Creator  regarded 
the  coniferae,  or  evergreen  family,  as  well  worthy  of 
attention ;  for  almost  from  the  first,  according  to 
geologists,  this  family  records  on  the  rocky  tablets 
of  the  earth  its  appearance,  large  and  varied  de- 
velopment, and  its  adaptation  to  each  change  in 
climate  and  condition  of  the  globe's  surface  during 
the  countless  ages  of  preparation.  Surely,  there- 
fore, he  who  is  evolving  a  home  on  one  acre  of  the 
earth's  area  cannot  neglect  a  genus  of  trees  that 
has  been  so  signally  honored.  Evergreens  will 
speedily  banish  the  sense  of  newness  from  his 
grounds;  for  by  putting  them  about  his  door  he 
has  added  the  link  which  connects  his  acre  with 
the  earliest  geological  record  of  tree-planting. 
Then,  like  Diedrich  Knickerbocker,  who  felt  that 
he  must  trace  the  province  of  New  York  back  to 
the  origin  of  the  universe,  he  can  look  upon  his 
coniferae  and  feel  that  his  latest  work  is  in  accord 
with  one  of  the  earliest  laws  of  creation.  I  im- 
agine, however,  that  my  readers'  choice  of  ever- 


26  THE   HOME   ACRE. 

greens  will  be  determined  chiefly  by  the  fact  that 
they  are  always  beautiful,  are  easily  managed,  and 
that  by  means  of  them  beautiful  effects  can  be 
created  within  comparatively  small  space.  On 
Mr.  Fuller's  grounds  I  saw  what  might  be  fittingly 
termed  a  small  parterre  of  dwarf  evergreens,  some 
of  which  were  twenty-five  years  old. 

Numbers  of  this  family  might  be  described  as 
evergreen  and  gold;  for  part  of  the  perennial 
foliage  shades  off  from  the  deepest  green  to  bright 
golden  hues.  Among  the  group  of  this  variety, 
Japanese  in  origin,  Mr.  Fuller  showed  me  a 
"  sporting  "  specimen,  which,  from  some  obscure 
and  remarkable  impulse,  appeared  bent  on  pro- 
ducing a  new  and  distinct  type.  One  of  the 
branches  was  quite  different  from  all  the  others 
on  the  tree.  It  was  pressed  down  and  layered  in 
the  soil  beneath ;  when  lo !  a  new  tree  was  pro- 
duced, set  out  beside  its  parent,  whom  it  soon 
surpassed  in  size,  beauty,  and  general  vigor.  Al- 
though still  maintaining  its  green  and  golden  hues, 
it  was  so  distinct  that  no  one  would  dream  that  it 
was  but  a  "  sport "  from  the  adjacent  dwarf  and 
modest  tree.  Indeed,  it  reminded  one  of  Beatrix 
Esmond  beside  her  gentle  and  retiring  mother. 
If  it  should  not  in  the  future  emulate  in  caprice 
the  fair  subject  of  comparison,  it  may  eventually 
become  one  of  the  best-known  ornaments  of  our 


TREE-PLANTING.  2/ 

lawns.  At  present  it  appears  nowise  inclined  to 
hide  its  golden  light  under  a  bushel. 

What  I  have  said  about  forming  the  acquaint- 
ance of  deciduous  trees  and  shrubs  before  planting 
to  any  great  extent,  applies  with  even  greater  force 
to  the  evergreen  family.  There  is  a  large  and 
beautiful  variety  from  which  to  choose,  and  I 
would  suggest  that  the  choice  be  made  chiefly 
from  the  dwarf-growing  kinds,  since  the  space  of 
one  acre  is  too  limited  for  much  indulgence  in 
Norway  spruces,  the  firs,  or  pines.  An  hour  with 
a  note-book  spent  in  grounds  like  those  of  Mr. 
Fuller  would  do  more  in  aiding  a  satisfactory  se- 
lection than  years  of  reading.  Moreover,  it  should 
be  remembered  that  many  beautiful  evergreens, 
especially  those  of  foreign  origin,  are  but  half 
hardy.  The  amateur  may  find  that  after  an  ex- 
ceptionally severe  winter  some  lovely  specimen, 
which  has  grown  to  fill  a  large  space  in  his  heart, 
as  well  as  on  his  acre,  has  been  killed.  There  is 
an  ample  choice  from  entirely  hardy  varieties  for 
every  locality,  and  these,  by  careful  inquiry  of 
trustworthy  nurserymen,  should  be  obtained. 

Moreover,  it  should  be  remembered  that  few 
evergreens  will  thrive  in  a  wet,  heavy  soil.  If 
Nature  has  not  provided  thorough  drainage  by 
means  of  a  porous  subsoil,  the  work  must  be  done 
artificially.  As  a  rule,  light  but  not  poor  soils, 


28  THE   HOME   ACRE. 

and  warm  exposures,  are  best  adapted  to  this  genus 
of  trees. 

I  think  that  all  authorities  agree  substantially 
that  spring  in  our  climate  is  the  best  time  for  the 
transplanting  of  evergreens ;  but  they  differ  between 
early  and  advanced  spring.  The  late  Mr.  A.  J. 
Downing  preferred  early  spring ;  that  is,  as  soon 
as  the  frost  is  out,  and  the  ground  dry  enough  to 
crumble  freely.  Mr.  A.  S.  Fuller  indorses  this 
opinion.  Mr.  Josiah  Hoopes,  author  of  a  valuable 
work  entitled  "  The  Book  of  Evergreens,"  advises 
that  transplanting  be  deferred  to  later  spring,  when 
the  young  trees  are  just  beginning  their  season's 
growth;  and  this  view  has  the  approval  of  the 
Hon.  Marshall  P.  Wilder  and  Mr.  S.  B.  Parsons,  Jr., 
Superintendent  of  City  Parks.  Abundant  success  is 
undoubtedly  achieved  at  both  seasons ;  but  should 
a  hot,  dry  period  ensue  after  the  later  planting,  — 
early  May,  for  instance,  —  only  abundant  watering 
and  diligent  mulching  will  save  the  trees. 

It  should  be  carefully  remembered  that  the  ever- 
green families  do  not  possess  the  vitality  of  decidu- 
ous trees,  and  are  more  easily  injured  or  killed  by 
removal.  The  roots  of  the  former  are  more  sen- 
sitive to  exposure  to  dry  air  and  to  sunlight ;  and 
much  more  certainty  of  life  and  growth  is  secured 
if  the  transfer  can  be  accomplished  in  cloudy  or 
rainy  weather.  The  roots  should  never  be  per- 


TREE-PLANTING.  2Q 

mitted  to  become  dry,  and  it  is  well  also  to  sprinkle 
the  foliage  at  the  time  of  planting.  Moreover,  do 
not  permit  careless  workmen  to  save  a  few  minutes 
in  the  digging  of  the  trees.  Every  fibrous  root 
that  can  be  preserved  intact  is  a  promise  of  life 
and  vigor.  If  a  nurseryman  should  send  me  an 
assortment  of  evergreens  with  only  the  large  woody 
roots  left,  I  should  refuse  to  receive  the  trees. 

What  I  have  said  in  opposition  to  the  trans- 
planting of  large  trees  applies  with  greater  force 
to  evergreens.  Mr.  Hoopes  writes :  "  An  error 
into  which  many  unpractised  planters  frequently  fall 
is  that  of  planting  large  trees ;  and  it  is  one  which 
we  consider  opposed  to  sound  common-sense. 
We  are  aware  that  the  owner  of  every  new  place 
is  anxious  to  produce  what  is  usually  known  as 
an  immediate  effect,  and  therefore  he  proceeds  to 
plant  large  evergreens,  covering  his  grounds  with 
great  unsightly  trees.  In  almost  every  case  of 
this  kind  the  lower  limbs  are  apt  to  die,  and 
thus  greatly  disfigure  the  symmetry  of  the  trees. 
Young,  healthy  plants,  when  carefully  taken  up 
and  as  properly  replanted,  are  never  subject  to 
this  disfigurement,  and  are  almost  certain  to  form 
handsome  specimens." 

Any  one  who  has  seen  the  beautiful  pyramids, 
cones,  and  mounds  of  green  into  which  so  many 
varieties  develop,  if  permitted  to  grow  according 


3O  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

to  the  laws  of  their  being,  should  not  be  induced 
to  purchase  old  and  large  trees  which  nurserymen 
are  often  anxious  to  part  with  before  they  become 
utterly  unsalable. 

When  the  evergreens  reach  the  acre,  plant  them 
with  the  same  care  and  on  the  same  general  prin- 
ciples indicated  for  other  trees.  Let  the  soil  be 
mellow  and  good.  Mulch  at  once,  and  water 
abundantly  the  first  summer  during  dry  periods. 
Be  sure  that  the  trees  are  not  set  any  deeper  in 
the  ground  than  they  stood  before  removal.  If 
the  soil  of  the  acre  is  heavy  or  poor,  go  to  the 
road-side  or  some  old  pasture  and  find  rich  light 
soil  with  which  to  fill  in  around  the  roots.  If  no 
soil  can  be  found  without  a  large  proportion  of 
clay,  the  addition  of  a  little  sand,  thoroughly 
mixed  through  it,  is  beneficial.  The  hole  should 
be  ample  in  size,  so  that  the  roots  can  be  spread 
out  according  to  their  natural  bent.  If  the  ground 
after  planting  needs  enriching,  spread  the  fertilizer 
around  the  trees,  not  against  them,  and  on  the 
surface  only.  Never  put  manure  on  or  very  near 
the  roots. 

Fine  young  seedling  evergreens  can  often  be 
found  in  the  woods  or  fields,  and  may  be  had  for 
the  asking,  or  for  a  trifling  sum.  Dig  them  so  as 
to  save  all  the  roots  possible.  Never  permit  these 
to  become  dry  till  they  are  safe  in  your  own 


TREE-PLANTING.  31 

grounds.  Aim  to  start  the  little  trees  under  the 
same  conditions  in  which  you  found  them  in 
Nature.  If  taken  from  a  shady  spot,  they  should 
be  shaded  for  a  season  or  two,  until  they  become 
accustomed  to  sunlight.  This  can  easily  be  ac- 
complished by  four  crotched  stakes  supporting  a 
light  scaffolding,  on  which  is  placed  during  the  hot 
months  a  few  evergreen  boughs. 

Very  pretty  and  useful  purposes  can  often  be 
served  by  the  employment  of  certain  kinds  of 
evergreens  as  hedges.  I  do  not  like  the  arbitrary 
and  stiff  divisions  of  a  small  place  which  I  have 
often  seen.  They  take  away  the  sense  of  roomi- 
ness, and  destroy  the  possibility  of  pretty  little 
vistas;  but  when  used  judiciously  as  screens  they 
combine  much  beauty  with  utility.  As  part  of 
line  fences  they  are  often  eminently  satisfactory, 
shutting  out  prying  eyes  and  inclosing  the  home 
within  walls  of  living  green.  The  strong-growing 
pines  and  Norway  spruce  are  better  adapted  to 
large  estates  than  to  the  area  of  an  acre.  There- 
fore we  would  advise  the  employment  of  the 
American  arbor  vitae  and  of  hemlock.  The  hedge 
of  the  latter  evergreen  on  Mr.  Fuller's  place  formed 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  symmetrical  walls 
I  have  ever  seen.  It  was  so  smooth,  even,  and 
impervious  that  in  the  distance  it  appeared  like 
solid  emerald. 


32  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

The  ground  should  be  thoroughly  prepared  for 
a  hedge  by  deep  ploughing  or  by  digging;  the 
trees  should  be  small,  young,  of  even  height  and 
size,  and  they  should  be  planted  carefully  in  line, 
according  to  the  directions  already  given  for  a 
single  specimen ;  the  ground  on  each  side  mulched 
and  kept  moist  during  the  first  summer.  In  the 
autumn,  rake  the  mulch  away  and  top-dress  the 
soil  on  both  sides  for  the  space  of  two  or  three 
feet  outward  from  the  stems  with  well-decayed 
manure.  This  protects  the  roots  and  insures  a 
vigorous  growth  the  coming  season.  Allow  no 
weeds  or  even  grass  to  encroach  on  the  young 
hedge  until  it  is  strong  and  established.  For  the 
first  year  no  trimming  will  be  necessary  beyond 
cutting  back  an  occasional  branch  or  top  that  is 
growing  stronger  than  the  others ;  and  this  should 
be  done  in  early  October.  During  the  second 
season  the  plants  should  grow  much  more  strongly ; 
and  now  the  shears  are  needed  in  summer.  Some 
branches  and  top  shoots  will  push  far  beyond  the 
others.  They  should  be  cut  back  evenly,  and  in 
accordance  with  the  shape  the  hedge  is  to  take. 
The  pyramidal  form  appears  to  me  to  be  the  one 
most  in  harmony  with  Nature.  In  October,  the 
hedge  should  receive  its  final  shearing  for  the  year ; 
and  if  there  is  an  apparent  deficiency  of  vigor, 
the  ground  on  both  sides  should  receive  another 


TREE-PLANTING.  33 

top-dressing,  after  removing  the  summer  mulch. 
As  the  hedge  grows  older  and  stronger,  the  prin- 
cipal shearing  will  be  done  in  early  summer,  as 
this  checks  growth  and  causes  the  close,  dense 
interlacing  of  branches  and  formation  of  foliage 
wherein  the  beauty  and  usefulness  of  the  hedge 
consist 


CHAPTER  II. 

FRUIT-TREES  AND  GRASS. 

ris  a  happy  proof  of  our  civilization  that  a 
dwelling-place,  a  shelter  from  sun  and  storm, 
does  not  constitute  a  home.  Even  the  modest 
rooms  of  our  mechanics  are  not  furnished  with 
useful  articles  merely;  ornaments  and  pictures 
appear  quite  as  indispensable.  Out-of-doors  the 
impulse  to  beautify  is  even  stronger;  and  usually 
the  purchaser's  first  effort  is  to  make  his  place 
attractive  by  means  of  trees  and  shrubs  that  are 
more  than  useful,  —  they  are  essential ;  because  the 
refined  tastes  of  men  and  women  to-day  demand 
them. 

In  the  first  chapter  I  endeavored  to  satisfy  this 
demand  in  some  degree,  and  now  will  ask  the 
reader's  attention  to  a  few  practical  suggestions 
in  regard  to  several  of  the  fruits  which  best  sup- 
ply the  family  need.  We  shall  find,  however,  that 
while  Nature  is  prodigal  in  supplying  what  appeals 
to  the  palate  and  satisfies  hunger,  she  is  also  like  a 
graceful  hostess  who  decks  her  banquet  with  all  the 
beauty  that  she  can  possibly  bestow  upon  it.  We 


36  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

can  imagine  that  the  luscious  fruits  of  the  year 
might  have  been  produced  in  a  much  more  prosaic 
way.  Indeed,  we  are  at  a  loss  to  decide  which  we 
value  the  more,  the  apple-blossoms  or  the  apples 
which  follow.  Nature  is  not  content  with  bulk, 
flavor,  and  nutriment,  but  in  the  fruit  itself  so 
deftly  pleases  the  eye  with  every  trick  of  color 
and  form  that  the  hues  and  beauty  of  the  flower 
are  often  surpassed.  We  look  at  a  red-cheeked 
apple  or  purple  cluster  of  grapes  hesitatingly,  and 
are  loth  to  mar  the  exquisite  shadings  and  perfect 
outlines  of  the  vessel  in  which  the  rich  juices  are 
served.  Therefore,  in  stocking  the  acre  with  fruit, 
the  proprietor  has  not  ceased  to  embellish  it;  and 
should  he  decide  that  fruit-trees  must  predominate 
over  those  grown  for  shade  and  ornament  only,  he 
can  combine  almost  as  much  beauty  as  utility  with 
his  plan. 

All  the  fruits  may  be  set  out  both  in  the  spring 
and  the  fall  seasons ;  but  in  our  latitude  and  north- 
ward, I  should  prefer  early  spring  for  strawberries 
and  peaches. 

By  this  time  we  may  suppose  that  the  owner  of 
the  acre  has  matured  his  plans,  and  marked  out 
the  spaces  designed  for  the  lawn,  garden,  fruit- 
trees,  vines,  etc.  Fruit-trees,  like  shade-trees,  are 
not  the  growth  of  a  summer.  Therefore  there  is 
natural  eagerness  to  have  them  in  the  ground  as 


FRUIT-TREES  AND   GRASS.  37 

soon  as  possible,  and  they  can  usually  be  ordered 
from  the  same  nursery,  and  at  the  same  time  with 
the  ornamental  stock.  I  shall  speak  first  of  apples, 
pears,  and  cherries,  and  I  have  been  at  some  pains 
to  secure  the  opinions  of  eminent  horticulturists  as 
to  the  best  selections  of  these  fruits  for  the  home 
table,  not  for  market.  When  there  is  a  surplus, 
however,  there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  disposing  of 
the  fine  varieties  named. 

The  Hon.  Marshall  P.  Wilder,  the  veteran  Presi- 
dent of  the  American  Pomological  Society,  writes 
as  follows  :  "  Herewith  is  the  selection  I  have  made 
for  family  use ;  but  I  could  put  in  as  many  more  in 
some  of  the  classes  which  are  just  as  desirable, 
or  nearly  so.  These  have  been  made  with  refer- 
ence to  covering  the  seasons.  Apples  —  Red  Astra- 
khan, Porter,  Gravenstein,  Rhode  Island  Greening, 
Baldwin,  Roxbury  Russet,  and  Sweet  Bough  for 
baking.  Pears  —  Clapp's  Favorite  (to  be  gathered 
August  20),  Bartlett,  Seckel,  Sheldon,  Beurre 
Bosc,  Buerre  d'Anjou,  and  Vicar  of  Winkfield 
for  baking,  etc.  Cherries  —  Black  Eagle,  Black 
Tartarian,  Downer,  Windsor,  Cumberland,  and 
Red  Jacket." 

Mr.  Wilder's  honored  name,  like  that  of  the  late 
Charles  Downing,  is  inseparably  linked  with  Amer- 
ican fruits,  and  the  country  owes  these  two  men 
a  debt  of  gratitude  which  never  can  be  paid  for 


38  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

their  life-long  and  intelligent  efforts  to  guide  the 
people  wisely  in  the  choice  and  culture  of  the  very 
best  varieties.  A  moment's  thought  will  convince 
the  reader  that  I  am  not  giving  too  much  space  to 
this  matter  of  selection.  We  are  now  dealing  with 
questions  which  wide  and  varied  experience  can 
best  answer.  Men  who  give  their  lives  to  the  cul- 
tivation and  observation  of  fruits  in  all  their  myriad 
varieties  acquire  a  knowledge  which  is  almost  in- 
valuable. We  cannot  afford  to  put  out  trees,  to 
give  them  good  culture,  and  wait  for  years,  only 
to  learn  that  all  our  care  has  been  bestowed  on 
inferior  or  second-rate  varieties.  Life  is  too  brief. 
We  all  feel  that  the  best  is  good  enough  for  us ; 
and  the  best  usually  costs  no  more  in  money  or 
time  than  do  less  desirable  varieties.  Therefore 
I  seek  to  give  on  this  important  question  of  choice 
the  opinions  of  some  of  the  highest  authorities  in 
the  land. 

Mr.  A.  S.  Fuller  is  not  only  a  well-known  hor- 
ticultural author,  but  has  also  had  the  widest 
experience  in  the  culture  and  observation  of 
fruit.  He  prefaces  his  opinion  with  the  following 
words :  "  How  much  and  how  often  we  horticultu- 
rists have  been  puzzled  with  questions  like  yours ! 
If  we  made  no  progress,  were  always  of  the 
same  mind,  and  if  seasons  never  changed,  then 
perhaps  there  would  be  little  difficulty  in  deciding 


FRUIT-TREES  AND  GRASS.  39 

which  of  the  varieties  of  the  different  kinds  of 
fruit  were  really  the  best.  But  seasons,  our  tastes, 
and  even  the  varieties  sometimes  change;  and 
our  preferences  and  opinions  must  vary  accord- 
ingly. Apples  —  Early  Harvest,  Fall  Pippins, 
Spitzenburgh,  Rhode  Island  Greening,  Autumn 
Sweet  Bough,  and  Talman's  Sweet.  Cherries 
—  Early  Purple  Guigne,  Bigarreau  of  Mezel, 
Black  Eagle,  Coe's  Transparent,  Governor  Wood, 
and  Belle  Magnifique." 

The  choice  of  Mr.  E.  S.  Carmen,  editor  of  the 
"  Rural  New  Yorker :  "  "  Apples  —  Early  Harvest, 
Gravenstein,  Jefferis,  Baldwin,  Mother,  Spitzen- 
burgh. Pears  —  Seckel,  Tyson,  Clapp's  Favor- 
ite, Bartlett,  Beurre  d'Anjou,  and  Dana's  Hovey. 
Cherries  —  Black  Tartarian,  Coe's  Transparent, 
Governor  Wood,  Mezel,  Napoleon  Bigarreau." 

The  authorities  appear  to  differ.  And  so  they 
would  in  regard  to  any  locality ;  but  it  should  be 
remembered  that  President  Wilder  advises  for  the 
latitude  of  Massachusetts,  Messrs.  Fuller  and  Car- 
men for  that  of  New  Jersey.  I  will  give  now  the 
selection  of  the  eminent  horticulturist  Mr.  P.  C. 
Berckmans  for  the  latitude  of  Georgia :  "  Cherries 
(this  is  not  a  good  cherry-producing  region,  but  I 
name  the  following  as  the  best  in  order  of  merit)  — 
Buttners,  Governor  Wood,  Belle  de  Choisy,  Early 
Richmond,  and  May  Duke.  Pears  (in  order  of 


4O  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

maturity),  Clapp's  Favorite,  Seckel,  Duchesse, 
Beurr6  Superfine,  Leconte,  Winter  Nellis,  or  Glout. 
Morceau.  Apples  —  Early  Harvest,  Red  June, 
Carter's  Blue,  Stevenson's  Winter,  Shockley,  Bun- 
combe, Carolina  Greening. 

He  who  makes  his  choice  from  these  selections 
will  not  meet  with  much  disappointment.  I  am 
aware,  however,  that  the  enjoyment  of  fruit  de- 
pends much  upon  the  taste  of  the  individual ;  and 
who  has  a  better  right  to  gratify  his  taste  than  the 
man  who  buys,  sets  out,  and  cares  for  the  trees  ? 
Some  familiar  kind  not  in  favor  with  the  fruit 
critics,  an  old  variety  that  has  become  a  dear 
memory  of  boyhood,  may  be  the  best  one  of  all 
for  him,  —  perhaps  for  the  reason  that  it  recalls  the 
loved  faces  that  gathered  about  the  wide,  quaint 
fireplace  of  his  childhood's  home. 

It  is  also  a  well-recognized  fact  that  certain 
varieties  of  fruit  appear  to  be  peculiarly  adapted 
to  certain  localities.  Because  a  man  has  made  a 
good  selection  on  general  principles,  he  need  not 
be  restricted  to  this  choice.  He  will  soon  find  his 
trees  growing  lustily  and  making  large  branching 
heads.  Each  branch  can  be  made  to  produce  a 
different  kind  of  apple  or  pear,  and  the  kindred 
varieties  of  cherries  will  succeed  on  the  same  tree. 
For  instance,  one  may  be  visiting  a  neighbor  who 
gives  him  some  fruit  that  is  unusually  delicious, 


FRUIT-TREES  AND   GRASS.  41 

or  that  manifest  great  adaptation  to  the  locality, 
As  a  rule  the  neighbor  will  gladly  give  scions 
which,  grafted  upon  the  trees  of  the  Home  Acre, 
will  soon  begin  to  yield  the  coveted  variety.  This 
opportunity  to  grow  different  kinds  of  fruit  on  one 
tree  imparts  a  new  and  delightful  interest  to  the 
orchard.  The  proprietor  can  always  be  on  the 
lookout  for  something  new  and  fine,  and  the  few 
moments  required  in  grafting  or  budding  make 
it  his.  The  operation  is  so  simple  and  easy  that 
he  can  learn  to  perform  it  himself,  and  there  are 
always  plenty  of  adepts  in  the  rural  vicinage  to 
give  him  his  initial  lesson.  While  he  will  keep  the 
standard  kinds  for  his  main  supply,  he  can  gratify 
his  taste  and  eye  with  some  pretty  innovations. 
I  know  of  an  apple-tree  which  bears  over  a  hun- 
dred varieties.  A  branch,  for  instance,  is  produ- 
cing Yellow  Bell-flowers.  At  a  certain  point  in  its 
growth  where  it  has  the  diameter  of  a  man's  thumb 
it  may  be  grafted  with  the  Red  Baldwin.  When 
the  scion  has  grown  for  two  or  three  years,  its 
leading  shoots  can  be  grafted  with  the  Roxbury 
Russet,  and  eventually  the  terminal  bough  of  this 
growth  with  the  Early  Harvest.  Thus  may  be  pre- 
sented the  interesting  spectacle  of  one  limb  of  a 
tree  yielding  four  very  distinct  kinds  of  apples. 

In  the  limited  area  of  an  acre  there  is  usually  not 
very  much  range  in  soil  and  locality.     The  owner 


42  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

must  make  the  best  of  what  he  has  bought,  and 
remedy  unfavorable  conditions,  if  they  exist,  by 
skill.  It  should  be  remembered  that  peaty,  cold, 
damp,  spongy  soils  are  unfit  for  fruit-trees  of  any 
kind.  We  can  scarcely  imagine,  however,  that  one 
would  buy  land  for  a  home  containing  much  soil 
of  this  nature.  A  sandy  loam,  with  a  subsoil  that 
dries  out  so  quickly  that  it  can  be  worked  after  a 
heavy  rain,  is  the  best  for  nearly  all  the  fruit-trees, 
especially  for  cherries  and  peaches.  Therefore  in 
selecting  the  ground,  be  sure  it  is  well  drained. 

If  the  acre  has  been  enriched  and  ploughed 
twice  deeply,  as  I  have  already  suggested,  little 
more  is  necessary  in  planting  than  to  excavate  a 
hole  large  enough  to  receive  the  roots  spread  out 
in  their  natural  positions.  Should  no  such  thor- 
ough and  general  preparation  have  been  made,  or 
if  the  ground  is  hard,  poor,  and  stony,  the  owner 
will  find  it  to  his  advantage  to  dig  a  good-sized 
hole  three  or  four  feet  across  and  two  deep,  filling 
in  and  around  the  tree  with  fine  rich  surface  soil. 
If  he  can  obtain  some  thoroughly  decomposed 
compost  or  manure,  for  instance,  as  the  scrapings 
of  a  barn-yard,  or  rich  black  soil  from  an  old  pas- 
ture, to  mix  with  the  earth  beneath  and  around  the 
roots,  the  good  effects  will  be  seen  speedily ;  but  in 
no  instance  should  raw  manure  from  the  stable,  or 
anything  that  must  decay  before  becoming  plant- 


FRUIT-TREES  AND  GRASS.  43 

food,  be  brought  in  contact  with  the  roots.  Again 
I  repeat  my  caution  against  planting  too  deeply,  — 
one  of  the  commonest  and  most  fatal  errors.  Let 
the  tree  be  set  about  as  deeply  as  it  stood  before 
removal.  If  the  tree  be  planted  early  in  spring,  as 
it  should  be,  there  will  be  moisture  enough  in  the 
soil;  but  when  planting  is  delayed  until  the  ground 
has  become  rather  dry  and  warm,  a  pail  of  water 
poured  about  its  roots  when  the  hole  has  been 
nearly  filled  will  be  beneficial.  Now  that  the  tree 
is  planted,  any  kind  of  coarse  manure  spread  to  the 
depth  of  two  or  three  inches  on  the  surface  as  a 
mulch  is  very  useful.  Stake  at  once  to  protect 
against  the  winds.  Do  not  make  the  common  mis- 
take of  planting  too  closely.  Observe  the  area 
shaded  by  fully  grown  trees,  and  you  will  learn 
the  folly  of  crowding.  Moreover,  dense  shade 
about  the  house  is  not  desirable.  There  should 
be  space  for  plenty  of  air  and  sunshine.  The  fruit 
from  one  well-developed  tree  will  often  more  than 
supply  a  family;  for  ten  or  fifteen  barrels  of  apples 
is  not  an  unusual  yield.  The  standard  apples  should 
be  thirty  feet  apart.  Pears,  the  dwarfer-growing 
cherries,  plums,  etc.,  can  be  grown  in  the  inter- 
vening spaces.  In  ordering  from  the  nurseries 
insist  on  straight,  shapely,  and  young  trees,  say 
three  years  from  the  bud.  Many  trees  that  are 
sent  out  are  small  enough,  but  they  are  old  and 


44  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

stunted.  Also  require  that  there  should  be  an 
abundance  of  fibrous  and  unmutilated  roots. 

Because  the  young  trees  come  from  the  nursery 
unpruned,  do  not  leave  them  in  that  condition. 
Before  planting,  or  immediately  after,  cut  back  all 
the  branches  at  least  one-half;  and  where  they 
are  too  thick,  cut  out  some  altogether.  In  re- 
moval the  tree  has  lost  much  of  its  root  power, 
and  it  is  absurd  to  expect  it  to  provide  for  just  as 
much  top  as  before. 

In  many  books  on  fruit-culture  much  space  has 
been  given  to  dwarf  pears,  apples,  and  cherries,  and 
trees  of  this  character  were  planted  much  more 
largely  some  years  ago  than  they  are  at  present. 
The  pear  is  dwarfed  by  grafting  it  on  the  quince ; 
the  apple  can  be  limited  to  a  mere  garden  fruit- 
tree  in  size  by  being  grown  on  a  Doucin  stock,  or 
even  reduced  to  the  size  of  a  bush  if  compelled  to 
draw  its  life  through  the  roots  of  the  Paradise. 
These  two  named  stocks,  much  employed  by 
European  nurserymen,  are  distinct  species  of 
apples,  and  reproduce  themselves  without  varia- 
tion from  the  seed.  The  cherry  is  dwarfed  by 
being  worked  on  the  Mahaleb,  —  a  small,  handsome 
tree,  with  glossy,  deep-green  foliage,  much  culti- 
vated abroad  as  an  ornament  of  lawns.  Except 
in  the  hands  of  practised  gardeners,  trees  thus 
dwarfed  are  seldom  satisfactory,  for  much  skill 


FRUIT-TREES   AND   GRASS.  45 

and  care  are  required  in  their  cultivation.  Their 
chief  advantages  consist  in  the  fact  that  they  bear 
early  and  take  but  little  space.  Therefore  they 
may  be^onsidered  worthy  of  attention  by  the 
purchasers  of  small  places.  Those  who  are  dis- 
posed to  make  pets  of  their  trees  and  to  indulge 
in  horticultural  experiments  may  derive  much  pleas- 
ure from  these  dwarfs,  for  they  can  be  developed 
into  symmetrical  pyramids  or  graceful,  fruitful 
shrubs  within  the  limits  of  a  garden  border. 

When  the  seeds  of  ordinary  apples  and  pears 
are  sown  they  produce  seedlings,  or  free  stocks, 
and  upon  these  are  budded  or  grafted  the  fine 
varieties  which  compose  our  orchards.  They  are 
known  as  standard  trees ;  they  come  into  bearing 
more  slowly,  and  eventually  attain  the  normal  size 
familiar  to  us  all.  Standard  cherries  are  worked 
on  seedlings  of  the  Mazzard,  which  Barry  describes 
as  a  "  lofty,  rapid-growing,  pyramidal-headed  tree." 
I  should  advise  the  reader  to  indulge  in  the  dwarfs 
very  charily,  and  chiefly  as  a  source  of  fairly  profit- 
able amusement.  It  is  to  the  standards  that  he 
will  look  for  shade,  beauty,  and  abundance  of 
fruit. 

Since  we  have  been  dwelling  on  the  apple,  pear, 
and  cherry,  there  are  certain  advantages  of  con- 
tinuing the  subject  in  the  same  connection,  giving 
the  principles  of  cultivation  and  care  until  the 


46  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

trees  reach  maturity.  During  the  first  summer 
an  occasional  watering  may  be  required  in  long 
periods  of  drought.  In  many  instances  buds  will 
form  and  start  along  the  stem  of  the  tree,  or  near 
the  roots.  These  should  be  rubbed  off  the 
moment  they  are  detected. 

One  of  our  chief  aims  is  to  form  an  evenly 
balanced,  open,  symmetrical  head;  and  this  can 
often  be  accomplished  better  by  a  little  watchful- 
ness during  the  season  of  growth  than  at  any  other 
time.  If,  for  instance,  two  branches  start  so  closely 
together  that  one  or  the  other  must  be  removed  in 
the  spring  pruning,  why  let  the  superfluous  one 
grow  at  all  ?  It  is  just  so  much  wasted  effort.  By 
rubbing  off  the  pushing  bud  or  tender  shoot  the 
strength  of  the  tree  is  thrown  into  the  branches 
that  we  wish  to  remain.  Thus  the  eye  and  hand 
of  the  master  become  to  the  young  tree  what  in- 
struction, counsel,  and  admonition  are  to  a  grow- 
ing boy,  with  the  difference  that  the  tree  is  easily 
and  certainly  managed  when  taken  in  time. 

The  study  of  the  principles  of  growth  in  the 
young  trees  can  be  made  as  pleasing  as  it  is  profit- 
able, for  the  readiness  with  which  they  respond  to 
a  guiding  hand  will  soon  invest  them  with  almost 
a  human  interest.  A  child  will  not  show  neglect 
more  certainly  than  they;  and  if  humored  and 
allowed  to  grow  after  their  own  fashion,  they  will 


FRUIT-TREES  AND  GRASS.  47 

soon  prove  how  essential  are  restraint  and  training. 
A  fruit  tree  is  not  like  one  in  a  forest,  —  a  simple, 
unperverted  product  of  Nature.  It  is  a  result  of  hu- 
man interference  and  development;  and  we  might 
just  as  reasonably  expect  our  domestic  animals  to 
take  care  of  themselves  as  our  grafted  and  budded 
trees.  Moreover,  they  do  not  comply  with  their 
raison  d'etre  by  merely  existing,  growing,  and 
propagating  their  kind.  A  Bartlett  pear-tree,  like 
a  Jersey  cow,  is  given  place  for  the  sake  of  its 
delicious  product.  It  is  also  like  the  cow  in  re- 
quiring judicious  feeding  and  care. 

Trees  left  to  themselves  tend  to  form  too  much 
wood,  like  the  grape-vine.  Of  course  fine  fruit  is 
impossible  when  the  head  of  a  tree  is  like  a 
thicket.  The  growth  of  unchecked  branches  fol- 
lows the  terminal  bud,  thus  producing  long  naked 
reaches  of  wood  devoid  of  fruit  spurs.  Therefore 
the  need  of  shortening  in,  so  that  side  branches 
may  be  developed.  When  the  reader  remembers 
that  every  dormant  bud  in  early  spring  is  a  pos- 
sible branch,  and  that  even  the  immature  buds  at 
the  axil  of  the  leaves  in  early  summer  can  be  forced 
into  immediate  growth  by  pinching  back  the  lead- 
ing shoot,  he  will  see  how  entirely  the  young  tree 
is  under  his  control.  These  simple  facts  and  prin- 
ciples are  worth  far  more  to  the  intelligent  man 
than  any  number  of  arbitrary  rules  as  to  pruning. 


48  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

Reason  and  observation  soon  guide  his  hand  in 
summer  or  his  knife  in  March,  —  the  season  when 
trees  are  usually  trimmed. 

Beyond  shortening  in  leading  branches  and 
cutting  out  crossing  and  interfering  boughs,  so 
as  to  keep  the  head  symmetrical  and  open  to  light 
and  air,  the  cherry  does  not  need  very  much 
pruning.  If  with  the  lapse  of  years  it  becomes 
necessary  to  take  off  large  limbs  from  any  fruit- 
tree,  the  authorities  recommend  early  June  as  the 
best  season  for  the  operation. 

It  will  soon  be  discovered  —  quite  likely  during 
the  first  summer  —  that  fruit-trees  have  enemies, 
that  they  need  not  only  cultivation  and  feeding, 
but  also  protection.  The  pear,  apple,  and  quince 
are  liable  to  one  mysterious  disease  which  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  guard  against  or  cure,  —  the 
fire-blight.  Of  course  there  have  been  innumerable 
preventives  and  cures  recommended,  just  as  we 
see  a  dozen  certain  remedies  for  consumption 
advertised  in  any  popular  journal;  but  the  dis- 
ease still  remains  a  disheartening  mystery,  and  is 
more  fatal  to  the  pear  than  to  its  kindred  fruits. 
I  have  had  thrifty  young  trees,  just  coming  into 
bearing,  suddenly  turn  black  in  both  wood  and 
foliage,  appearing  in  the  distance  as  if  scorched  by 
a  blast  from  a  furnace.  In  another  instance  a  large 
mature  tree  was  attacked,  losing  in  a  summer  half 


FRUIT-TREES  AND  GRASS.  49 

its  boughs.  These  were  cut  out,  and  thejcemainder 
of  the  tree  appeared  healthy  during  the  following 
summer,  and  bore  a  good  crop  of  fruit.  The  dis- 
ease often  attacks  but  a  single  branch  or  a  small 
portion  of  a  tree.  The  authorities  advise  that 
everything  should  be  cut  away  at  once  below  all 
evidence  of  infection  and  burned.  Some  of  my 
trees  have  been  attacked  and  have  recovered; 
others  were  apparently  recovering,  but  died  a  year 
or  two  later.  One  could  theorize  to  the  end  of  a 
volume  about  the  trouble.  I  frankly  confess  that  I 
know  neither  the  cause  nor  the  remedy.  It  seems 
to  me  that  our  best  resource  is  to  comply  with  the 
general  conditions  of  good  and  healthy  growth. 
The  usual  experience  is  that  trees  which  are  ferti- 
lized with  wood-ashes  and  a  moderate  amount  of 
lime  and  salt,  rather  than  with  stimulating  manures, 
escape  the  disease.  If  the  ground  is  poor,  how- 
ever, and  the  growth  feeble,  barn-yard  manure  or 
its  equivalent  is  needed  as  a  mulch.  The  apple- 
blight  is  another  kindred  and  equally  obscure  dis- 
ease. No  better  remedy  is  known  than  to  cut  out 
the  infected  part  at  once. 

In  coping  with  insects  we  can  act  more  intelli- 
gently, and  therefore  successfully.  We  can  study 
the  characters  of  our  enemies,  and  learn  their 
vulnerable  points.  The  black  and  green  aphides, 
or  plant-lice,  are  often  very  troublesome.  They 

4 


50  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

appear  in  immense  numbers  on  the  young  and 
tender  shoots  of  trees,  and  by  sucking  their  juices 
check  or  enfeeble  the  growth.  They  are  the  milch- 
cows  of  ants,  which  are  usually  found  very  busy 
among  them.  Nature  apparently  has  made  ample 
provision  for  this  pest,  for  it  has  been  estimated 
that  "  one  individual  in  five  generations  might  be 
the  progenitor  of  six  thousand  millions."  They 
are  easily  destroyed,  however.  Mr.  Barry,  of  the 
firm  of  Ellwanger  &  Barry,  in  his  excellent  work 
"  The  Fruit  Garden,"  writes  as  follows :  "  Our  plan 
is  to  prepare  a  barrel  of  tobacco  juice  by  steeping 
stems  for  several  days,  until  the  juice  is  of  a  dark 
brown  color ;  we  then  mix  this  with  soap-suds.  A 
pail  is  filled,  and  the  ends  of  the  shoots,  where  the 
insects  are  assembled,  are  bent  down  and  dipped 
in  the  liquid.  One  dip  is  enough.  Such  parts  as 
cannot  be  dipped  are  sprinkled  liberally  with  a 
garden-syringe,  and  the  application  repeated  from 
time  to  time,  as  long  as  any  of  the  aphides  remain. 
The  liquid  may  be  so  strong  as  to  injure  the 
foliage ;  therefore  it  is  well  to  test  it  on  one  or  two 
subjects  before  using  it  extensively.  Apply  it  in 
the  evening." 

The  scaly  aphis  or  bark-louse  attacks  weak, 
feeble-growing  trees,  and  can  usually  be  removed 
by  scrubbing  the  bark  with  the  preparation  given 
above. 


FRUIT-TREES  AND   GRASS.  51 

In  our  region  and  in  many  localities  the  apple- 
tree  borer  is  a  very  formidable  pest,  often  destroy- 
ing a  young  tree  before  its  presence  is  known.  I 
once  found  a  young  tree  in  a  distant  part  of  my 
place  that  I  could  push  over  with  my  finger.  In 
June  a  brown  and  white  striped  beetle  deposits 
its  eggs  in  the  bark  of  the  apple-tree  near  the 
ground.  The  larvae  when  hatched  bore  their  way 
into  the  wood,  and  will  soon  destroy  a  small  tree. 
They  cannot  do  their  mischief,  however,  without 
giving  evidence  of  their  presence.  Sawdust  exudes 
from  the  holes  by  which  they  entered,  and  there 
should  be  sufficient  watchfulness  to  discover  them 
before  they  have  done  much  harm.  I  prefer  to 
cut  them  out  with  a  sharp,  pointed  knife,  and 
make  sure  that  they  are  dead ;  but  a  wire  thrust 
into  the  hole  will  usually  pierce  and  kill  them. 
Wood-ashes  mounded  up  against  the  base  of  the 
tree  are  said  to  be  a  preventive.  In  the  fall 
they  can  be  spread,  and  they  at  least  make  one 
of  the  best  of  fertilizers. 

The  codling-moth,  or  apple-worm,  is  another 
enemy  that  should  be  fought  resolutely,  for  it  de- 
stroys millions  of  bushels  of  fruit.  In  the  latitude 
of  New  York  State  this  moth  begins  its  depreda- 
tions about  the  middle  of  June.  Whatever  may  be 
thought  of  the  relation  of  the  apple  to  the  fall  of 
man,  this  creature  certainly  leads  to  the  speedy  fall 


52  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

of  the  apple.  Who  has  not  seen  the  ground  cov- 
ered with  premature  and  decaying  fruit  in  July, 
August,  and  September  ?  Each  specimen  will  be 
found  perforated  by  a  worm-hole.  The  egg  has 
been  laid  in  the  calyx  of  the  young  apple,  where 
it  soon  hatches  into  a  small  white  grub,  which  bur- 
rows into  the  core,  throwing  out  behind  it  a  brown- 
ish powder.  After  about  three  weeks  of  apple 
diet  it  eats  its  way  out,  shelters  itself  under  the 
scaly  bark  of  the  tree  —  if  allowed  to  be  scaly  —  or 
in  some  other  hiding-place,  spins  a  cocoon,  and  in 
about  three  weeks  comes  out  a  moth,  and  is  ready 
to  help  destroy  other  apples.  This  insect  prob- 
ably constitutes  one  of  Nature's  methods  of  pre- 
venting trees  from  overbearing;  but  like  some 
people  we  know,  it  so  exaggerates  its  mission  as  to 
become  an  insufferable  nuisance.  The  remedies 
recommended  are  that  trees  should  be  scraped  free 
of  all  scales  in  the  spring,  and  washed  with  a  solu- 
tion of  soft  soap.  About  the  1st  of  July,  wrap 
bandages  of  old  cloth,  carpet,  or  rags  of  any  kind 
around  the  trunk  and  larger  limbs.  The  worms 
will  appreciate  such  excellent  cover,  and  will  swarm 
into  these  hiding-places  to  undergo  transformation 
into  moths.  Therefore  the  wraps  of  rags  should 
often  be  taken  down.,  thrown  into  scalding  water, 
dried,  and  replaced.  The  fruit  as  it  falls  should 
be  picked  up  at  once  and  carried  to  the  pigs, 


FRUIT-TREES   AND   GRASS.  53 

and,  when  practicable,  worm-infested  specimens 
should  be  taken  from  the  trees  before  the  worm 
escapes. 

The  canker-worm  in  those  localities  where  it  is 
destructive  can  be  guarded  against  by  bands  of 
tar-covered  canvas  around  the  trees.  The  moth 
cannot  fly,  but  crawls  up  the  tree  in  the  late 
autumn  and  during  mild  spells  in  winter,  but  es- 
pecially throughout  the  spring  until  May.  When 
the  evil-disposed  moth  meets  the  tarry  band  he 
finds  no  thoroughfare,  and  is  either  caught  or  com- 
pelled to  seek  some  other  arena  of  mischief. 

We  have  all  seen  the  flaunting,  unsightly  abodes 
of  the  tent  caterpillar  and  the  foliage-denuded 
branches  about  them.  Fortunately  these  are  not 
stealthy  enemies,  and  the  owner  can  scarcely  see 
his  acre  at  all  without  being  aware  of  their  pres- 
ence. He  has  only  to  look  very  early  in  the  morn- 
ing or  late  in  the  evening  to  find  them  all  bunched 
up  in  their  nests.  These  should  be  taken  down 
and  destroyed. 

Cherry  and  pear  slugs,  "  small,  slimy,  dark  brown 
worms,"  can  be  destroyed  by  dusting  the  trees  with 
dry  wood  ashes  or  air-slacked  lime. 

Field-mice  often  girdle  young  trees,  especially 
during  the  winter,  working  beneath  the  snow. 
Unless  heaps  of  rubbish  are  left  here  and  there  as 
shelter  for  these  little  pests,  one  or  two  good  cats 


54  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

will  keep  the  acre  free  of  them.  Treading  the 
snow  compactly  around  the  tree  is  also  practised. 

Do  not  let  the  reader  be  discouraged  by  this  list 
of  the  most  common  enemies,  or  by  hearing  of 
others.  After  reading  some  medical  works  we  are 
led  to  wonder  that  the  human  race  does  not  speed- 
ily die  out.  As  a  rule,  however,  with  moderate 
care,  most  of  us  are  able  to  say,  "  I  'm  pretty  well,  I 
thank  you,"  and  when  ailing  we  do  not  straightway 
despair.  In  spite  of  all  enemies  and  drawbacks, 
fruit  is  becoming  more  plentiful  every  year.  If 
one  man  can  raise  it,  so  can  another. 

Be  hospitable  to  birds,  the  best  of  all  insect 
destroyers.  Put  up  plenty  of  houses  for  bluebirds 
and  wrens,  and  treat  the  little  brown  song-sparrow 
as  one  of  your  stanchest  friends. 

A  brief  word  in  regard  to  the  quince,  and  our 
present  list  of  fruits  is  compiete. 

If  the  quince  is  cultivated  after  the  common  ne- 
glectful method,  it  would  better  be  relegated  to  an 
obscure  part  of  the  garden,  for,  left  to  itself,  it 
makes  a  great  sprawling  bush ;  properly  trained, 
it  becomes  a  beautiful  ornament  to  the  lawn,  like 
the  other  fruits  that  I  have  described.  Only  a 
little  care,  with  the  judicious  use  of  the  pruning- 
shears,  is  required  to  develop  it  into  a  miniature 
and  fruitful  tree,  which  can  be  grown  with  a  natu- 
ral rounded  head  or  in  the  form  of  a  pyramid,  as 


FRUIT-TREES  AND  GRASS.  55 

the  cultivator  chooses.  It  will  thrive  well  on  the 
same  soil  and  under  similar  treatmenrtccorded  to 
the  pear  or  the  apple.  Procure  from  a  nursery 
straight-stemmed  plants ;  set  them  out  about  eight 
feet  apart ;  begin  to  form  the  head  three  feet  from 
the  ground,  and  keep  the  stem  and  roots  free  from 
all  sprouts  and  suckers.  Develop  the  head  just  as 
you  would  that  of  an  apple-tree,  shortening  in  the 
branches,  and  cutting  out  those  that  interfere  with 
each  other.  Half  a  dozen  trees  will  soon  give  an 
ample  supply.  The  orange  and  the  pear  shaped 
are  the  varieties  usually  recommended.  Rea's 
Mammoth  is  also  highly  spoken  of:  Remember 
that  the  quince  equally  with  the  apple  is  subject 
to  injury  from  the  borer,  and  the  evil  should  be 
met  as  I  have  already  described. 

There  is  a  natural  wish  to  have  as  much  grass 
about  the  dwelling  as  possible,  for  nothing  is  more 
beautiful.  If  there  are  children,  they  will  assur- 
edly petition  for  lawn-tennis  and  croquet  grounds. 
I  trust  that  their  wishes  may  be  gratified,  for 
children  are  worth  infinitely  more  than  anything 
else  that  can  be  grown  upon  the  acre.  With  a 
little  extra  care,  all  the  trees  of  which  I  have 
spoken  can  be  grown  in  the  spaces  allotted  to 
grass.  It  is  only  necessary  to  keep  a  circle  of 
space  six  feet  in  diameter  —  the  trunk  forming  the 
centre  —  around  the  tree  mellow  and  free  from  any 


56  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

vegetable  growth  whatever.  This  gives  a  chance 
to  fertilize  and  work  the  ground  immediately  over 
the  roots.  Of  course  vigorous  fruit-trees  cannot 
be  grown  in  a  thick  sod,  while  peaches  and  grapes 
require  the  free  culture  of  the  garden,  as  will  be 
shown  hereafter.  In  view,  however,  of  the  general 
wish  for  grass,  I  have  advised  on  the  supposition 
that  all  the  ornamental  trees,  most  of  the  shrubs, 
and  the  four  fruits  named  would  be  grown  on  the 
portions  of  the  acre  to  be  kept  in  lawn.  It  may  be 
added  here  that  plums  also  will  do  well  under  the 
same  conditions,  if  given  good  care. 

Grass  is  a  product  that  can  be  cultivated  as  truly 
as  the  most  delicate  and  fastidious  of  fruits,  and  I 
had  the  lawn  in  mind  when  I  urged  the  generous 
initial  deep  ploughing  and  enriching.  Nothing  that 
grows  responds  more  promptly  to  good  treatment 
than  grass ;  but  a  fine  lawn  cannot  be  created  in 
a  season,  any  more  than  a  fine  tree. 

We  will  suppose  that  the  spring  plantings  of 
trees  have  been  made  with  open  spaces  reserved 
for  the  favorite  games.  Now  the  ground  can  be 
prepared  for  grass-seed,  for  it  need  not  be  tram- 
pled over  any  more.  If  certain  parts  have  become 
packed  and  hard,  they  should  be  dug  or  ploughed 
deeply  again,  then  harrowed  and  raked  perfectly 
smooth,  and  all  stones,  big  or  little,  taken  from  the 
surface.  The  seed  may  now  be  sown,  and  it  should 


FRUIT-TREES  AND   GRASS.  57 

be  of  thick,  fine-growing  varieties,  such  as  are  em- 
ployed in  Central  Park  and  other  pleasure-grounds. 
Mr.  Samuel  Parsons,  Jr.,  Superintendent  of  Cen- 
tral Park,  writes  me:  "The  best  grass-seeds  for 
ordinary  lawns  are  a  mixture  of  red-top  and  Ken- 
tucky blue-grass  in  equal  parts,  with  perhaps  a 
small  amount  of  white  clover.  On  very  sandy 
ground  I  prefer  the  Kentucky  blue-grass,  as  it  is 
very  hardy  and  vigorous  under  adverse  circum- 
stances." Having  sown  and  raked  in  the  seed  very 
lightly,  a  great  advantage  will  be  gained  in  passing 
a  lawn-roller  over  the  ground.  I  have  succeeded 
well  in  getting  a  good  "  catch  "  of  grass  by  sow- 
ing the  seed  with  oats,  which  were  cut  and  cured 
as  hay  as  soon  as  the  grain  was  what  is  termed  "  in 
the  milk."  The  strong  and  quickly  growing  oats 
make  the  ground  green  in  a  few  days,  and  shel- 
ter the  slower-maturing  grass-roots.  Mr.  Parsons 
says,  "  I  prefer  to  sow  the  grass-seed  alone."  As 
soon  as  the  grass  begins  to  grow  with  some  vigor, 
cut  it  often,  for  this  tends  to  thicken  it  and  produce 
the  velvety  effect  that  is  so  beautiful.  From  the 
very  first  the  lawn  will  need  weeding.  The  ground 
contains  seeds  of  strong  growing  plants,  such  as 
dock,  plantain,  etc.,  which  should  be  taken  out  as 
fast  as  they  appear.  To  some  the  dandelion  is  a 
weed ;  but  not  to  me,  unless  it  takes  more  than  its 
share  of  space,  for  I  always  miss  these  little  earth 


58  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

stars  when  they  are  absent.  They  intensify  the 
sunshine  shimmering  on  the  lawn,  making  one 
smile  involuntarily  when  seeing  them.  Moreover, 
they  awaken  pleasant  memories,  for  a  childhood 
in  which  dandelions  had  no  part  is  a  defective 
experience. 

In  late  autumn  the  fallen  leaves  should  be 
raked  carefully  away,  as  they  tend  to  smother  the 
grass  if  permitted  to  lie  until  spring.  Now  comes 
the  chief  opportunity  of  the  year,  in  the  form  of  a 
liberal  top-dressing  of  manure  from  the  stable.  If 
this  is  spread  evenly  and  not  too  thickly  in  Novem- 
ber, and  the  coarser  remains  of  it  are  raked  off 
early  in  April,  the  results  will  be  astonishing.  A 
deep  emerald  hue  will  be  imparted  to  the  grass, 
and  the  frequent  cuttings  required  will  soon  pro- 
duce a  turf  that  yields  to  the  foot  like  a  Persian 
rug.  Any  one  who  has  walked  over  the  plain  at 
West  Point  can  understand  the  value  of  these  reg- 
ular autumnal  top-dressings.  If  the  stable-manure 
can  be  composted  and  left  till  thoroughly  decayed, 
fine,  and  friable,  all  the  better.  If  stable-manure 
cannot  be  obtained,  Mr.  Parsons  recommends 
Mapes's  fertilizer  for  lawns. 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE  GARDEN. 

WE  now  approach  that  part  of  the  acre  to 
which  its  possessor  will  probably  give  his 
warmest  and  most  frequent  thoughts, —  the  garden. 
If  properly  made  and  conducted,  it  will  yield  a 
revenue  which  the  wealth  of  the  Indies  could  not 
purchase ;  for  who  ever  bought  in  market  the  flavor 
of  fruit  and  vegetables  raised  by  one's  own  hands 
or  under  our  own  eyes?  Sentiment  does  count. 
A  boy  is  a  boy;  but  it  makes  a  vast  difference 
whether  he  is  our  boy  or  not.  A  garden  may 
soon  become  a  part  of  the  man  himself,  and  he 
be  a  better  man  for  its  care.  Wholesome  are  the 
thoughts  and  schemes  it  suggests;  healthful  are 
the  blood  and  muscle  resulting  from  its  products 
and  labor  therein.  Even  with  the  purse  of  a  mil- 
lionnaire,  the  best  of  the  city's  markets  is  no  sub- 
stitute for  a  garden ;  for  Nature  and  life  are  here, 
and  these  are  not  bought  and  sold.  From  stalls 
and  peddlers'  wagons  we  can  buy  but  dead  and 
dying  things.  The  indolent  epicure's  enjoyment 
of  game  is  not  the  relish  of  the  sportsman  who 


60  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

has  taken  his  dinner  direct  from  the  woods  and 
waters. 

I  am  often  told,  "  It  is  cheaper  to  buy  fruit  and 
vegetables  than  to  raise  them."  I  have  nothing 
to  say  in  reply.  There  are  many  cheap  things 
that  we  can  have;  experience  has  proved  that 
one  of  the  best  things  to  have  is  a  garden,  either 
to  work  in  or  to  visit  daily  when  the  season  per- 
mits. We  have  but  one  life  to  live  here,  and 
to  get  the  cheapest  things  out  of  it  is  a  rather 
poor  ambition. 

There  are  multitudes  who  can  never  possess  an 
acre,  more  or  less,  and  who  must  obtain  Nature's 
products  at  second  hand.  This  is  not  so  great  a 
misfortune  as  to  have  no  desire  for  her  compan- 
ionship, or  wish  to  work  under  her  direction  in 
dewy  mornings  and  shadowy  evenings.  We  may 
therefore  reasonably  suppose  that  the  man  who 
has  exchanged  his  city  shelter  for  a  rural  home 
looks  forward  to  the  garden  with  the  natural,  pri- 
mal instinct,  and  is  eager  to  make  the  most  of  it 
in  all  its  aspects.  Then  let  us  plunge  in  medias 
res  at  once. 

The  ideal  soil  for  a  garden  is  a  mellow,  sandy 
loam,  underlaid  with  a  subsoil  that  is  not  too  open 
or  porous.  Such  ground  is  termed  "  grateful,"  and 
it  is  not  the  kind  of  gratitude  which  has  been  de- 
fined as  "  a  lively  appreciation  of  favors  to  come," 


THE  GARDEN.  6 1 

which  is  true  of  some  other  soils.  This  ideal  land 
remembers  past  favors;  it  retains  the  fertilizers 
with  which  it  has  been  enriched,  and  returns  them 
in  the  form  of  good  crops  until  the  gift  is  ex- 
hausted; therefore  it  is  a  thrifty  as  well  as  a 
grateful  soil.  The  owner  can  bring  it  up  to  the 
highest  degree  of  fertility,  and  keep  it  there  by 
judicious  management.  This  sandy  loam  —  Na- 
ture's blending  of  sand  and  clay  —  is  a  safe  bank. 
The  manure  incorporated  with  it  is  a  deposit  which 
can  be  drawn  against  in  fruit  and  vegetables,  for 
it  does  not  leach  away  and  disappear  with  one 
season's  rains. 

Light,  thin,  sandy  soil,  with  a  porous  or  gravelly 
subsoil,  is  of  a  very  different  type,  and  requires 
different  treatment.  It  is  a  spendthrift.  No  mat- 
ter how  much  you  give  it  one  year,  it  very  soon 
requires  just  so  much  more.  You  can  enrich  it, 
but  you  can't  keep  it  rich.  Therefore  you  must 
manage  it  as  one  would  take  care  of  a  spendthrift, 
giving  what  is  essential  at  the  time,  and  in  a  way 
that  permits  as  little  waste  as  possible.  I  shall 
explain  this  treatment  more  fully  farther  on. 

In  the  choice  of  a  garden  plot  you  may  be  re- 
stricted to  a  stiff,  tenacious,  heavy  clay.  Now  you 
have  a  miser  to  deal  with, —  a  soil  that  retains,  but 
in  many  cases  makes  no  proper  use  of,  what  it 
receives.  Skill  and  good  management,  however, 


62  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

can  improve  any  soil,  and  coax  luxuriant  crops 
from  the  most  unpropitious. 

We  will  speak  first  of  the  ideal  soil  already 
mentioned,  and  hope  that  the  acre  contains  an 
area  of  it  of  suitable  dimensions  for  a  garden. 
What  should  be  the  first  step  in  this  case?  Why, 
to  get  more  of  it.  A  quarter  of  an  acre  can  be 
made  equal  to  half  an  acre.  You  can  about 
double  the  garden,  without  adding  to  it  an  inch  of 
surface,  by  increasing  the  depth  of  good  soil.  For 
instance,  ground  has  been  cultivated  to  the  depth 
of  six  or  seven  inches.  Try  the  experiment  of 
stirring  the  soil  and  enriching  it  one  foot  down- 
ward, or  eighteen  inches,  or  even  two  feet,  and  see 
what  vast  differences  will  result.  With  every  inch 
you  go  down,  making  all  friable  and  fertile,  you 
add  just  so  much  more  to  root  pasturage.  When 
you  wish  to  raise  a  great  deal,  increase  your  lever- 
age. Roots  are  your  levers ;  and  when  they  rest 
against  a  deep  fertile  soil  they  lift  into  the  air  and 
sunshine  products  that  may  well  delight  the  eyes 
and  palate  of  the  most  fastidious.  We  suggest 
that  this  thorough  deepening,  pulverization,  and 
enriching  of  the  soil  be  done  at  the  start,  when  the 
plough  can  be  used  without  any  obstructions.  If 
there  are  stones,  rocks,  roots,  anything  which  pre- 
vents the  treatment  which  a  garden  plot  should 
receive,  there  is  a  decided  advantage  in  clearing 


THE  GARDEN.  63 

them  all  out  at  the  beginning.  Last  fall  I  saw  a 
half-acre  that  was  swampy,  and  so  encumbered 
with  stones  that  one  could  walk  all  over  it  without 
stepping  off  the  rocks.  The  land  was  sloping,  and 
therefore  capable  of  drainage.  The  proprietor  put 
three  men  to  work  on  the  lower  side  with  picks, 
shovels,  and  blasting-tools.  They  turned  the  soil 
over  to  the  depth  of  eighteen  inches,  taking  out 
every  stone  larger  than  a  walnut.  Eight  or  ten 
feet  apart  deep  ditches  were  cut,  and  the  stones, 
as  far  as  possible,  placed  in  these.  The  rest  were 
carted  away  for  a  heavy  wall.  You  may  say  it  was 
expensive  work.  So  it  was;  yet  so  complete  a 
garden  spot  was  made  that  I  believe  it  would  yield 
a  fair  interest  in  potatoes  alone.  I  relate  this  in- 
stance to  show  what  can  be  done.  A  more  for- 
bidding area  for  a  garden  in  its  original  state  could 
scarcely  be  found.  Enough  vegetables  and  fruit 
can  be  raised  from  it  hereafter,  with  annual  fertiliz- 
ing, to  supply  a  large  family ;  and  it  will  improve 
every  year  under  the  refining  effects  of  frost,  sun, 
and  cultivation. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  culture  does  for 
soil  what  it  does  for  men  and  women.  It  mellows, 
brings  it  up,  and  renders  it  capable  of  finer  pro- 
ducts. Much,  indeed,  can  be  done  with  a  crude 
piece  of  land  in  a  single  year  when  treated  with  the 
thoroughness  that  has  been  suggested,  and  some 


64  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

strong-growing  vegetables  may  be  seen  at  their 
best  during  the  first  season ;  but  the  more  delicate 
vegetables  thrive  better  with  successive  years  of 
cultivation.  No  matter  how  abundantly  the  ground 
may  be  enriched  at  first,  time  and  chemical  action 
are  required  to  transmute  the  fertilizers  into  the 
best  forms  of  plant-food,  and  make  them  a  part  of 
the  very  soil  itself.  Ploughing  or  spading,  espe- 
cially if  done  in  late  autumn,  exposes  the  mould 
to  the  beneficial  action  of  the  air  and  frost,  and 
the  garden  gradually  takes  on  the  refined,  mellow, 
fertile  character  which  distinguishes  it  from  the 
ordinary  field. 

In  dealing  with  a  thin,  sandy  soil,  one  has  almost 
to  reverse  the  principles  just  given.  Yet  there  is 
no  cause  for  discouragement.  Fine  results,  if  not 
the  best,  can  be  secured.  In  this  case  there  is 
scarcely  any  possibility  for  a  thorough  preparation 
of  the  soil  from  the  start.  It  can  gradually  be  im- 
proved, however,  by  making  good  its  deficiencies, 
the  chief  of  which  is  the  lack  of  vegetable  mould. 
If  I  had  such  soil  I  would  rake  up  all  the  leaves  I 
could  find,  employ  them  as  bedding  for  my  cow 
and  pigs  (if  I  kept  any),  and  spread  the  compost- 
heap  resulting  on  the  sandy  garden.  The  soil  is 
already  too  light  and  warm,  and  it  should  be  our 
aim  to  apply  fertilizers  tending  to  counteract  this 
defect.  A  nervous,  excitable  person  should  let 


THE  GARDEN.  65 

stimulants  alone,  and  take  good,  solid,  blood-mak- 
ing food.  This  illustration  suggests  the  proper 
course  to  be  taken.  Many  a  time  I  have  seen 
action  the  reverse  of  this  resulting  disastrously. 
For  instance,  a  man  carts  on  his  light  thin  soil  hot 
fermenting  manure  from  the  horse-stable,  and 
ploughs  it  under.  Seeds  are  planted.  In  the 
moist,  cool,  early  spring  they  make  a  great  start, 
feeling  the  impulse  of  the  powerful  stimulant. 
There  is  a  hasty  and  unhealthful  growth ;  but  long 
before  maturity  the  days  grow  long  and  hot, 
drought  comes,  and  the  garden  dries  up.  There- 
fore every  effort  should  be  made  to  supply  cool 
manures  with  staying  qualities,  such  as  are  fur- 
nished by  decayed  vegetable  matter  composted 
with  the  cleanings  of  the  cow-stable.  We  thus 
learn  the  value  of  fallen  leaves,  muck  from  the 
swamp,  etc. ;  and  they  also  bring  with  them  but 
few  seeds  of  noxious  vegetation. 

On  the  other  hand,  stolid,  phlegmatic  clay  re- 
quires the  stimulus  of  manure  from  the  horse- 
stable.  It  can  be  ploughed  under  at  once,  and 
left  to  ferment  and  decay  in  the  soil.  The  process 
of  decomposition  will  tend  to  banish  its  cold,  inert 
qualities,  and  make  the  ground  loose,  open,  and 
amenable  to  the  influences  of  frost,  sun,  and  rain. 

Does  the  owner  of  light,  warm  soils  ask,  "  What, 
then,  shall  I  do  with  my  stable-manure,  since  you 

5 


66  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

have  said  that  it  will  be  an  injury  to  my  garden?  " 
I  have  not  said  this,  —  only  that  it  will  do  harm  if 
applied  in  its  raw,  hot,  fermenting  state.  Compost 
it  with  leaves,  sod,  earth,  muck,  anything  that  will 
keep  it  from  burning  up  with  its  own  heat.  If  you 
can  obtain  no  such  ingredients,  have  it  turned  over 
and  exposed  to  the  air  so  often  that  it  will  decay 
without  passing  through  a  process  approaching 
combustion.  When  it  has  become  so  thoroughly 
decomposed  as  to  resemble  a  fine  black  powder, 
you  have  a  fertilizer  superior  to  any  high-priced 
patent  compound  that  can  be  bought.  Farther  on 
I  will  show  how  it  can  be  used  both  in  this  state 
and  also  in  its  crude  condition  on  light  soils  with 
the  best  results. 

It  is  scarcely  possible  to  lay  too  much  stress  on 
this  subject  of  fertilizers.  The  soil  of  the  garden- 
plot  looks  inert:  so  does  heavy  machinery;  but 
apply  to  it  the  proper  motive  power,  and  you  have 
activity  at  once.  Manure  is  the  motive  power  to 
soil,  and  it  should  be  applied  in  a  way  and  degree 
to  secure  the  best  results.  To  produce  some 
vegetables  and  fruits  much  is  required;  in  other 
growths,  very  little. 

In  laying  out  a  garden  there  are  several  points 
to  be  considered.  The  proprietor  may  be  more 
desirous  of  securing  some  degree  of  beauty  in  the 
arrangement  than  of  obtaining  the  highest  condi- 


THE  GARDEN.  67 

tion  of  productiveness.  If  this  be  true,  he  may 
plan  to  make  down  its  centre  a  wide,  gravelled 
walk,  with  a  grape-arbor  here  and  there,  and  fruit- 
trees  and  flowers  in  borders  on  each  side  of  the 
path.  So  far  from  having  any  objection  to  this 
arrangement,  I  should  be  inclined  to  adopt  it  my- 
self. It  would  be  conducive  to  frequent  visits  to 
the  garden  and  to  lounging  in  it,  especially  if  there 
be  rustic  seats  under  .the  arbors.  I  am  inclined  to 
favor  anything  which  accords  with  my  theory  that 
the  best  products  of  a  garden  are  neither  eaten 
nor  sold.  From  such  a  walk  down  the  middle  of 
the  garden  the  proprietor  can  glance  at  the  rows 
of  vegetables  and  small  fruits  on  either  side,  and 
daily  note  their  progress.  What  he  loses  in  space 
and  crops  he  gains  in  pleasure. 

Nor  does  he  lose  much ;  for  if  the  borders  on 
each  side  of  the  path  are  planted  with  grape-vines, 
peach  and  plum  trees,  flowers  and  shrubs,  the  very 
ground  he  walks  on  becomes  part  of  their  root 
pasturage.  At  the  same  time  it  must  be  admitted 
that  the  roots  will  also  extend  with  depleting  appe- 
tites into  the  land  devoted  to  vegetables.  The 
trees  and  vines  above  will,  to  some  extent,  cast  an 
unwholesome  shade.  He  who  has  set  his  heart  on 
the  biggest  cabbages  and  best  potatoes  in  town 
must  cultivate  them  in  ground  open  to  the  sky, 
and  unpervaded  by  any  roots  except  their  own. 


68  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

If  the  general  fruitfulness  of  the  garden  rather  than 
perfection  in  a  few  vegetables  is  desired,  the  bor- 
ders, with  their  trees,  vines,  and  flowers,  will  prove 
no  objection.  Moreover,  when  it  comes  to  com- 
peting in  cabbages,  potatoes,  etc.,  the  proprietor 
of  the  Home  Acre  will  find  that  some  Irishman, 
by  the  aid  of  his  redolent  pig-pen,  will  surpass 
him.  The  roots  and  shade  extending  from  his  bor- 
ders will  not  prevent  him  from  growing  good 
vegetables,  if  not  the  largest. 

We  will  therefore  suppose  that,  as  the  simplest 
and  most  economical  arrangement,  he  has  adopted 
the  plan  of  a  walk  six  feet  wide  extending  through 
the  centre  of  his  garden.  As  was  the  case  with  the 
other  paths,  it  will  be  greatly  to  his  advantage  to 
stake  it  out  and  remove  about  four  inches  of  the 
surface-soil,  piling  it  near  the  stable  to  be  used  for 
composting  purposes  or  in  the  earth-closet.  The 
excavation  thus  made  should  be  filled  with  small 
stones  or  cinders,  and  then  covered  with  fine  gravel. 
A  walk  that  shall  be  dry  at  all  times  is  thus  secured, 
and  it  will  be  almost  wholly  free  from  weeds.  In 
these  advantages  alone  one  is  repaid  for  the  extra 
first  cost,  and  in  addition  the  rich  surface  soil  ob- 
tained will  double  the  bulk  and  value  of  the  ferti- 
lizers with  which  it  is  mixed. 

Having  made  the  walk,  borders  five  feet  wide 
can  be  laid  out  on  each  side  of  it,  and  the  soil  in 


THE  GARDEN.  69 

these  should  be  as  rich  and  deep  as  any  other 
parts  of  the  garden.  What  shall  be  pknted  in 
these  borders  will  depend  largely  on  the  tastes  of 
the  gardener;  but,  as  has  been  suggested,  there 
will  assuredly  be  one  or  more  shadowy  grape- 
arbors  under  which  the  proprietor  can  retire  to 
provide  horticultural  strategy.  This  brings  us  to 
that  chef-d'ceuvre  of  Nature,  — 

The  vine.  It  climbs  by  its  tendrils,  and  they 
appear  to  have  clasped  the  heart  of  humanity. 
Among  the  best  of  Heaven's  gifts,  it  has  sustained 
the  worst  perversions.  But  we  will  refrain  from  a 
temperance  lecture ;  also  from  sacred  and  classical 
reminiscences.  The  world  is  not  composed  of 
monks  who  thought  to  escape  temptation  —  and 
vainly  too  —  in  stony  cells.  To  some  the  purple 
cluster  suggests  Bacchanal  revelry;  to  others,  sit- 
ting under  one's  own  vine  and  fig-tree,  —  in  brief,  a 
home.  The  vine  is  like  woman,  the  inspiration  of 
the  best  and  the  worst. 

It  may  well  become  one  of  the  dreams  of  our 
life  to  own  land,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  that  of 
obtaining  the  privilege  of  planting  vines.  As  they 
take  root,  so  will  we;  and  after  we  have  eaten 
their  delicious  fruit,  the  very  thought  of  leaving 
our  acre  will  be  repugnant.  The  literature  of  the 
vine  would  fill  a  library;  the  literature  of  love 
would  crowd  many  libraries.  It  is  not  essential  to 


fO  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

read  everything  before  we  start  a  little  vineyard  or 
go  a-courting. 

It  is  said  that  about  two ,  thousand  known  and 
named  varieties  of  grapes  have  been  and  are  being 
grown  in  Europe;  and  all  these  are  supposed  to 
have  been  developed  from  one  species  ( Vitis 
vinifera),  which  originally  was  the  wild  product 
of  Nature,  like  those  growing  in  our  thickets  and 
forests.  One  can  scarcely  suppose  this  possible 
when  contemplating  a  cluster  of  Tokay  or  some 
other  highly  developed  variety  of  the  hot-house. 
Yet  the  native  vine,  which  began  to  "  yield  fruit 
after  his  kind,  the  third  day  "  (whatever  may  have 
been  the  length  of  that  day) ,  may  have  been,  after 
all,  a  good  starting-point  in  the  process  of  develop- 
ment. One  can  hardly  believe  that  the  "one  clus- 
ter of  grapes  "  which  the  burdened  spies,  returning 
from  Palestine,  bore  "  between  two  of  them  upon  a 
staff,"  was  the  result  of  high  scientific  culture.  In 
that  clime,  and  when  the  world  was  young,  Nature 
must  have  been  more  beneficent  than  now.  It  is 
certain  that  no  such  cluster  ever  hung  from  the 
native  vines  of  this  land ;  yet  it  is  from  our  wild 
species,  whose  fruit  the  Indians  shared  with  the 
birds  and  foxes  (when  not  hanging  so  high  as  to 
be  sour)  that  we  have  developed  the  delicious 
varieties  of  our  out-door  vineyards.  For  about 
two  centuries  our  forefathers  kept  on  planting 


THE  GARDEN.  71 

vines  imported  from  Europe,  only  to  meet  with 
failure.  Nature,  that  had  so  abundantlys^warded 
their  efforts  abroad,  quietly  checkmated  them  here. 
At  last  American  fruit-growers  took  the  hint,  and 
began  developing  our  native  species.  Then  Nature 
smiled;  and  as  a  lure  along  this  correct  path  of 
progress,  gave  such  incentives  as  the  Isabella,  the 
Catavvba,  and  Concord.  We  are  now  bewildered 
by  almost  as  great  a  choice  of  varieties  from  native 
species  as  they  have  abroad;  and  as  an  aid  to 
selection  I  will  again  give  the  verdict  of  ^some  of 
the  authorities. 

The  choice  of  the  Hon.  Norman  J.  Colman,  Com- 
missioner of  Agriculture :  "  Early  Victor,  Worden, 
Martha,  Elvira,  Cynthiana."  This  is  for  the  region 
of  Missouri.  For  the  latitude  of  New  Jersey,  A. 
S.  Fuller's  selection :  "  Delaware,  Concord,  Moore's 
Early,  Antoinette  (white),  Augusta  (white),  Goethe 
(amber)."  E.  S.  Carmen:  "Moore's  Early  [you 
cannot  praise  this  too  much.  The  quality  is  mere- 
ly that  of  the  Concord ;  but  the  vines  are  marvels 
of  perfect  health,  the  bunches  large,  the  berries 
of  the  largest  size.  They  ripen  all  at  once, 
and  are  fully  ripe  when  the  Concord  begins  to 
color],  Worden,  Brighton,  Victoria  (white), 
Niagara  (white),  El  Dorado.  [This  does  not 
thrive  everywhere,  but  the  grapes  ripen  early  — 
September  I,  or  before  —  and  the  quality  is  per- 


72  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

fection  — white.]  "  Choice  of  P.  J.  Berckman,  for 
the  latitude  of  Georgia:  " White  grapes  —  Peter 
Wylie,  Triumph,  Maxatawny,  Scuppernong.  Red 
grapes  —  Delaware,  Berckman's,  Brighton.  Black 
—  Concord,  Ives." 

As  I  have  over  a  hundred  varieties  in  bearing, 
I  may  venture  to  express  an  opinion  also.  I  con- 
fess that  I  am  very  fond  of  those  old  favorites  of 
our  fathers,  the  Isabella  and  Catawba.  They  will 
not  ripen  everywhere  in  our  latitude,  yet  I  seldom 
fail  to  secure  a  good  crop.  In  the  fall  of  1885  we 
voted  the  Isabella  almost  unsurpassed.  If  one  has 
warm,  well-drained  soil,  or  can  train  a  vine  near  the 
south  side  of  a  building,  I  should  advise  the  trial 
of  this  fine  old  grape.  The  lona,  Brighton,  and 
Agawam  also  are  great  favorites  with  me.  We 
regard  the  Diana,  Wyoming  Red,  Perkins,  and 
Roger's  hybrids,  Lindley,  Wilder,  and  Amenia,  as 
among  the  best.  The  Rebecca,  Duchess,  Lady 
Washington,  and  Purity  are  fine  white  grapes.  I 
have  not  yet  tested  the  Niagara.  Years  ago  I  ob- 
tained of  Mr.  James  Ricketts,  the  prize-taker  for 
seedling  grapes,  two  vines  of  a  small  wine  grape 
called  the  Bacchus.  To  my  taste  it  is  very  pleas- 
ant after  two  or  three  slight  frosts. 

Our  list  of  varieties  is  long  enough,  and  one 
must  be  fastidious  indeed  who  does  not  find  some 
to  suit  his  taste.  In  many  localities  the  chief 


THE  GARDEN.  73 

question  is,  What  kinds  can  I  grow?  In  our  fa- 
vored region  on  the  Hudson  almost  all  the  out- 
door grapes  will  thrive;  but  as  we  go  north  the 
seasons  become  too  cool  and  short  for  some  kinds, 
and  proceeding  south  the  summers  are  too  long 
and  hot  for  others.  The  salt  air  of  the  sea-coast  is 
not  conducive  to  vine-culture,  and  only  the  most 
vigorous,  like  the  Concord  and  Moore's  Early,  will 
resist  the  mildew  blight.  We  must  therefore  do 
the  best  we  can,  and  that  will  be  very  well  indeed 
in  most  localities. 

Because  our  list  of  good  grapes  is  already  so 
long,  it  does  not  follow  that  we  have  reached  the 
limit  of  development  by  any  means.  When  we 
remember  that  almost  within  a  lifetime  our  fine 
varieties  have  been  developed  from  the  wild 
northern  Fox  grape  (Vitis  labrusca),  the  Summer 
grape  t&stivalis),  Frost  (cor dif olio),  we  are  led  to 
think  that  perhaps  we  have  scarcely  more  than 
crossed  the  stile  which  leads  into  the  path  of  pro- 
gress. If  I  should  live  to  keep  up  my  little  speci- 
men vineyard  ten  years  longer,  perhaps  the  greater 
part  of  the  varieties  now  cultivated  will  have  given 
place  to  others.  The  delicious  Brighton  requires 
no  more  space  than  a  sour,  defective  variety ;  while 
the  proprietor  starts  with  the  best  kinds  he  can 
obtain,  he  will  find  no  restraint  beyond  his  own 
ignorance  or  carelessness  that  will  prevent  his 


74  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

replacing  the  Brighton  with  a  variety  twice  as 
good  when  it  is  developed.  Thus  vine-planting 
and  grape-tasting  stretch  away  into  an  alluring 
and  endless  vista. 

When  such  exchanges  are  made,  we  do  not 
recommend  the  grafting  of  a  new  favorite  on  an 
old  vine.  This  is  a  pretty  operation  when  one  has 
the  taste  and  leisure  for  it,  and  a  new,  high-priced 
variety  can  sometimes  be  obtained  speedily  and 
cheaply  in  this  way.  Usually,  however,  new  kinds 
soon  drop  down  within  the  means  of  almost  any 
purchaser,  and  there  are  advantages  in  having 
each  variety  growing  upon  its  own  root.  Nature 
yields  to  the  skill  of  the  careful  gardener,  and  per- 
mits the  insertion  of  one  distinct  variety  of  fruit  up- 
on another ;  but  with  the  vine  she  does  not  favor 
this  method  of  propagation  and  change,  as  in  the 
case  of  pears  and  apples,  where  the  graft  forms  a 
close,  tenacious  union  with  the  stock  in  which  it  is 
placed.  Mr.  Fuller  writes :  "  On  account  of  the 
peculiar  structure  of  the  wood  of  the  vine,  a  last- 
ing union  is  seldom  obtained  when  grafted  above- 
ground,  and  is  far  from  being  certain  even  when 
grafted  below  the  surface,  by  the  ordinary  method." 
The  vine  is  increased  so  readily  by  easy  and  nat- 
ural methods,  to  be  explained  hereafter,  that  he 
who  desires  nothing  more  than  to  secure  a  good 
supply  of  grapes  for  the  table  can  dismiss  the 


THE  GARDEN.  75 

subject.  On  the  other  hand,  those  who  wish  to 
amuse  themselves  by  experimenting  with  Nature 
can  find  abundant  enjoyment  in  not  only  grafting 
old  vines,  but  also  in  raising  new  seedlings,  among 
which  he  may  obtain  a  prize  which  will  "  astonish 
the  natives."  Those,  however,  whose  tastes  carry 
them  to  such  lengths  in  vine-culture  will  be  sure 
to  purchase  exhaustive  treatises  on  the  subject, 
and  will  therefore  give  no  heed  to  these  simple 
practical  chapters.  It  is  my  aim  to  enable  the  busi- 
ness man  returning  from  his  city  office,  or  the 
farmer  engrossed  with  the  care  of  many  acres,  to 
learn  in  a  few  moments,  from  time  to  time,  just 
what  he  must  do  to  supply  his  family  abundantly 
with  fruits  and  vegetables. 

If  one  is  about  to  adopt  grape-culture  as  a  call- 
ing, common-sense  requires  that  he  should  locate 
in  some  region  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  vine.  If 
the  possessor  of  a  large  farm  purposes  to  put 
several  acres  in  vineyard,  he  should  also  aim  to 
select  a  soil  and  exposure  best  suited  to  his  pur- 
pose. Two  thousand  years  ago  Virgil  wrote, 
"  Nor  let  thy  vineyard  bend  towards  the  sun  when 
setting."  The  inference  is  that  the  vines  should 
face  the  east,  if  possible ;  and  from  that  day  to  this, 
eastern  and  southern  exposures  have  been  found 
the  best.  Yet  climate  modifies  even  this  principle. 
In  the  South,  I  should  plant  my  vineyard  on  a 


76  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

northwestern  slope,  or  on  the  north  side  of  a  belt  of 
woods,  for  the  reason  that  the  long,  hot  days  there 
would  cause  too  rapid  an  evaporation  from  the 
foliage  of  the  vines,  and  enfeeble,  if  not  kill  them. 
In  the  limited  space  of  the  Home  Acre  one  can 
use  only  such  land  as  he  has,  and  plant  where  he 
must ;  but  if  the  favorable  exposures  indicated  ex- 
ist, it  would  be  well  to  make  the  most  of  them. 
I  can  mention,  however,  as  encouragement  to 
many,  that  I  saw,  last  fall,  splendid  grapes  growing 
on  perfectly  level  and  sandy  soil  in  New  Jersey. 

A  low-lying,  heavy,  tenacious  clay  is  undoubt- 
edly the  worst  ground  in  which  to  plant  a  vine ; 
and  yet  by  thorough  drainage,  a  liberal  admixture 
of  sand,  and  light  fertilizers,  it  can  be  made  to 
produce  good  grapes  of  some  varieties.  A  light 
sandy  soil,  if  enriched  abundantly  with  well- 
decayed  vegetable  and  barn-yard  manures,  gives 
wider  scope  in  choice  of  kinds;  while  on  the 
ideal  well-drained  sandy  loam  that  we  have  de- 
scribed, any  out-door  grape  can  be  planted  hope- 
fully if  the  garden  is  sufficiently  removed  from 
the  sea-board. 

As  a  general  truth  it  may  be  stated  that  any 
land  in  a  condition  to  produce  a  fine  crop  of 
corn  and  potatoes  is  ready  for  the  vine.  This 
would  be  true  of  the  entire  garden  if  the  sug- 
gestions heretofore  made  have  been  carried  out. 


THE  GARDEN.  77 

Therefore  the  borders  which  have  been  named 
are  ready  to  receive  the  vines,  which  may  be 
planted  in  either  spring  or  fall.  I  prefer  the  fall 
season  for  several  reasons.  The  ground  is  usually 
drier  then,  and  crumbles  more  finely ;  the  young 
vine  becomes  well  established  and  settled  in  its 
place  by  spring,  and  even  forms  new  roots  before 
the  growing  season  begins,  and  in  eight  cases  out 
of  ten  makes  a  stronger  growth  than  follows  spring 
planting;  it  is  work  accomplished  when  there  is 
usually  the  greatest  leisure.  If  the  ground  is 
ready  in  early  spring,  I  should  advise  no  delay. 
A  year's  growth  is  gained  by  setting  out  the 
vines  at  once.  As  a  rule  I  do  not  advise  late 
spring  planting,  —  that  is,  after  the  buds  have 
started  on  the  young  vines.  They  may  live,  but 
usually  they  scarcely  do  more,  the  first  year. 

In  ordering  from  a  nursery  I  should  ask  for 
vigorous,  well-rooted  two-year-old  vines,  and  I 
should  be  almost  as  well  contented  with  first-class 
one-year-olds.  If  any  one  should  advertise  "  extra 
large,  strong  vines,  ready  to  bear  at  once,"  I 
should  have  nothing  to  do  with  him.  That 's  a 
nursery  trick  to  get  rid  of  old  stock.  The  first 
year  after  the  shock  of  removal  a  vine  should  not 
be  permitted  to  bear  at  all ;  and  a  young  vigorous 
vine  is  worth  a  dozen  old  stunted  ones. 

Having    procured    the  vines,    keep  them   in    a 


78  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

cool,  moist  place  until  ready  to  plant.  Never  per- 
mit the  roots  to  become  dry ;  and  if  some  of  them 
are  long  and  naked,  shorten  them  to  two  feet,  so 
as  to  cause  them  to  throw  out  side  fibrous  roots, 
which  are  the  true  feeders.  Excavate  holes  ot 
ample  size,  so  that  all  the  roots  may  be  spread 
out  naturally.  If  you  have  reason  to  think  the 
ground  is  not  very  good,  two  or  three  quarts  of 
fine  bone-dust  thoroughly  mixed  with  the  soil  that 
is  placed  on  and  about  the  roots  will  give  a  fine 
send-off.  Usually  a  good  mulch  of  any  kind  of 
barn-yard  manure  placed  on  the  surface  after 
planting  will  answer  all  purposes.  Before  filling 
in  the  hole  over  the  roots,  place  beside  the  vine  a 
stout  stake  six  or  seven  feet  high.  This  will  be 
all  the  support  required  the  first  year.  Cut  back 
the  young  vine  to  three  buds,  and  after  they  get 
well  started,  let  but  one  grow.  If  the  planting  is 
done  in  the  fall,  mound  the  earth  up  over  the  little 
vine  at  the  approach  of  winter,  so  as  to  cover  it  at 
least  six  inches  below  the  surface.  In  spring 
uncover  again  as  soon  as  hard  frosts  are  over, — 
say  early  April  in  our  latitude.  Slow-growing  vari- 
eties, like  the  Delaware,  may  be  set  out  six  feet 
apart ;  strong  growers,  like  the  Concord,  eight  feet. 
Vines  cannot  be  expected  to  thrive  under  the  shade 
of  trees,  or  to  fight  an  unequal  battle  in  ground 
filled  with  the  roots  of  other  plants. 


THE  GARDEN.    .  79 

Vines  may  be  set  out  not  only  in  the  garden 
borders,  but  also  in  almost  any  place  where  their 
roots  will  not  be  interfered  with,  and  where  their 
foliage  will  receive  plenty  of  light  and  air.  How 
well  I  remember  the  old  Isabella  vines  that  clam- 
bered on  a  trellis  over  the  kitchen  door  at  my 
childhood's  home !  In  this  sunny  exposure,  and 
in  the  reflected  heat  of  the  building,  the  clusters 
were  always  the  sweetest  and  earliest  ripe.  A 
ton  of  grapes  may  be  secured  annually  by  erect- 
ing trellises  against  the  sides  of  buildings,  walls, 
and  poultry  yard,  while  at  the  same  time  the 
screening  vines  furnish  grateful  shade  and  no 
small  degree  of  beauty.  With  a  little  petting, 
such  scattered  vines  are  often  enormously  pro- 
ductive. An  occasional  pail  of  soap-suds  gives 
them  a  drink  which  eventually  flushes  the  thickly 
hanging  clusters  with  exquisite  color.  People 
should  dismiss  from  their  minds  the  usual  method 
of  European  cultivation,  wherein  the  vines  are 
tied  to  short  stakes,  and  made  to  produce  their 
fruit  near  the  ground.  This  method  can  be  em- 
ployed if  we  find  pleasure  in  the  experiment.  At 
Mr.  Fuller's  place  I  saw  fine  examples  of  it 
Stubby  vines  with  stems  thick  as  one's  wrist  rose 
about  three  feet  from  the  ground,  then  branched 
off  on  every  side,  like  an  umbrella,  with  loads  of 
fruit.  Only  one  supporting  stake  was  required. 


8O  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

This  method  evidently  is  not  adapted  to  our 
climate  and  species  of  grape,  since  in  that  case 
plenty  of  keen,  practical  fruit-growers  would  have 
adopted  it.  I  am  glad  this  is  true,  for  the  vine- 
clad  hills  of  France  do  not  present  half  so  pleasing 
a  spectacle  as  an  American  cornfield.  The  vine  is 
beautiful  when  grown  as  a  vine,  and  not  as  a  stub ; 
and  well-trained,  well-fed  vines  on  the  Home  Acre 
can  be  developed  to  almost  any  length  required, 
shading  and  hiding  with  greenery  every  unsightly 
object,  and  hanging  their  finest  clusters  far  beyond 
the  reach  of  the  predatory  small  boy. 

We  may  now  consider  the  vines  planted  and 
growing  vigorously,  as  they  will  in  most  instances 
if  they  have  been  prepared  for  and  planted  accord- 
ing to  the  suggestions  already  given.  Now  begins 
the  process  of  guiding  and  assisting  Nature.  Left 
to  herself,  she  will  give  a  superabundance  of  vine, 
with  sufficient  fruit  for  purposes  of  propagation 
and  feeding  the  birds.  Our  object  is  to  obtain 
the  maximum  of  fruit  from  a  minimum  of  vine. 
The  little  plant,  even  though  grown  from  a  single 
bud,  will  sprawl  all  over  everything  near  it  in 
three  or  four  years,  if  unchecked.  Pruning  may 
begin  even  before  midsummer  of  the  first  year. 
The  single  green  shoot  will  by  this  time  begin  to 
produce  what  are  termed  "  laterals."  The  careful 
cultivator  who  wishes  to  throw  all  the  strength 


THE  GARDEN.^  ^ 


and  growth  into  the  main  shoot  will  pinch  these 
laterals  back  as  soon  as  they  form  one  leaf.  Each 
lateral  will  start  again  from  the  axil  of  the  leaf 
that  has  been  left,  and  having  formed  another  leaf, 
should  again  be  cut  off.  By  repeating  this  pro- 
cess during  the  growing  season  you  have  a  strong 
single  cane  by  fall,  reaching  probably  beyond  the 
top  of  the  supporting  stake.  In  our  latitude  I 
advise  that  this  single  cane  —  that  is,  the  vine  — be 
cut  back  to  within  fifteen  inches  of  the  surface 
when  the  leaves  have  fallen  and  the  wood  has  well- 
ripened,  —  say  about  the  middle  of  November,  — 
and  that  the  part  left  be  bent  over  and  covered  with 
earth.  When  I  say  "  bent  over,"  I  do  not  mean  at 
right  angles,  so  as  to  admit  of  the  possibility  of 
its  being  broken,  but  gently  and  judiciously.  I 
cover  with  earth  all  my  vines,  except  the  Concords 
and  Isabellas,  just  before  hard  freezing  weather ; 
and  even  these  two  hardy  kinds  I  weight  down 
close  to  the  ground.  I  have  never  failed  to  secure 
a  crop  from  vines  so  treated.  Two  men  will  pro- 
tect over  a  hundred  vines  in  a  day. 

In  early  April  the  young  vine  is  uncovered  again ; 
and  now  the  two  uppermost  buds  are  allowed  to 
grow  and  form  two  strong  canes,  instead  of  one, 
and  on  this  new  growth  four  or  five  clusters  of 
grapes  may  be  permitted  to  mature  if  the  vine  is 
vigorous.  If  it  is  feeble,  take  off  all  the  fruit,  and 

6 


82  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

stimulate  the  vine  into  greater  vigor.  Our  aim  is 
not  to  obtain  half  a  dozen  inferior  clusters  as  soon 
as  possible,  but  to  produce  a  vine  that  will  eventu- 
ally almost  supply  a  family  by  itself.  If  several 
varieties  have  been  planted,  some  will  be  found 
going  ahead  rampantly;  others  will  exhibit  a 
feebler  growth,  which  can  be  hastened  and  greatly 
increased  by  enriching  the  surface  of  the  soil 
around  them,  and  by  a  pail  of  soap-suds  now  and 
then  in  May  or  June,  —  but  not  later,  unless  there 
should  be  a  severe  drought.  There  should  be  no 
effort  to  produce  much  growth  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  summer  and  early  autumn,  for  then 
both  the  wood  and  roots  will  be  immature  and 
unripened  when  frost  begins,  and  thus  the  vine 
receive  injury.  For  this  reason  it  is  usually  best 
to  apply  fertilizers  to  vines  in  the  fall ;  for  if  given 
in  the  spring,  a  late,  unhealthful  growth  is  often 
produced.  Throughout  all  subsequent  years  ma- 
nure must  be  applied  judiciously.  You  may  tell 
the  hired  man  to  top-dress  the  ground  about  the 
vines,  and  he  will  probably  treat  all  alike ;  a  vine 
that  is  already  growing  so  strongly  that  it  can 
scarcely  be  kept  within  bounds  will  receive  as 
much  as  one  that  is  slow  and  feeble  in  its  develop- 
ment. This  is  worse  than  waste.  Each  vine 
should  be  treated  in  accordance  with  its  condition 
and  habit  of  growth.  What  would  be  thought  of 


THE  GARDEN.  83 

a  physician  who  ordered  a  tonic  for  an  entire 
family,  giving  as  much  to  one  who  might  need 
depleting,  as  to  another  who,  as  country  people 
say,  was  "  puny  and  ailen  "  ?  With  even  an  assort- 
ment of  half  a  dozen  varieties  we  shall  find  after 
the  first  good  start  that  some  need  a  curb,  and 
others  a  spur. 

Stakes  will  answer  as  supports  to  the  vines 
during  the  first  and  second  seasons ;  but  thereafter 
trellises  or  arbors  are  needed.  The  latter  will 
probably  be  employed  over  the  central  walk  of 
the  garden,  and  may  be  constructed  after  several 
simple  and  pretty  designs,  which  I  leave  to  the 
taste  of  the  reader.  If  vines  are  planted  about 
buildings,  fences,  etc.,  trellises  may  be  made  of 
anything  preferred,  —  of  galvanized  wire,  slats,  or 
rustic  poles  fastened  to  strong,  durable  supports. 
If  vines  are  to  be  trained  scientifically  in  the  open 
garden,  I  should  recommend  the  trellises  figured 
on  pages  120  and  142  of  Mr.  Fuller's  work,  "  The 
Grape  Culturist."  These,  beyond  anything  I  have 
seen,  appear  the  best  adapted  for  the  following 
out  of  a  careful  system  of  pruning  and  training. 
Such  a  system  Mr.  Fuller  has  thoroughly  and 
lucidly  explained  in  the  above-named  book. 

Unless  the  reader  has  had  experience,  or  is  will- 
ing to  give  time  for  the  mastery  of  this  subject, 
I  should  advise  that  he  employ  an  experienced 


84  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

gardener  to  prune  his  vines  after  the  second  year. 
It  is  a  brief  task,  but  a  great  deal  depends  upon  it. 
In  selecting  a  man  for  the  work  I  should  require 
something  more  than  exaggerated  and  personal 
assurances.  In  every  village  there  are  terrible 
butchers  of  vines  and  fruit-trees,  who  have  some 
crude  system  of  their  own.  They  are  as  ignorant 
of  the  true  science  of  the  subject  as  a  quack  doc- 
tor of  medicine,  and,  like  the  dispenser  of  nostrums, 
they  claim  to  be  infallible.  Skilful  pruning  and 
training  is  really  a  fine  art,  which  cannot  be  learned 
in  a  day  or  a  year.  It  is  like  a  surgical  operation, 
requiring  but  little  time,  yet  representing  much 
acquired  skill  and  experience.  In  almost  every 
locality  there,  are  trustworthy,  intelligent  gardeners, 
who  will  do  this  work  for  a  small  sum  until  the  pro- 
prietor has  learned  the  art  himself,  if  so  inclined. 
I  should  also  employ  the  same  man  in  spring  to 
tie  up  the  vines  and  train  them. 

If  one  is  not  ambitious  to  secure  the  best  results 
attainable,  he  can  soon  learn  to  perform  both  the 
tasks  well  enough  to  obtain  fairly  good  fruit  in 
abundance.  It  should  be  our  constant  aim  not  to 
permit  long,  naked  reaches  of  wood  in  one  part 
of  the  vine,  and  great  smothering  bunches  of  fruit 
and  foliage  in  another  part.  Of  course  the  roots, 
stem,  and  leading  arms  should  be  kept  free  from 
useless  shoots  and  sprouts;  but  having  reached 


THE  GARDEN.  85 

the  trellis,  the  vine  should  be  made  to  distribute 
bearing  fruit-spurs  evenly  over  it.  Much  can  be 
learned  about  pruning  from  books  and  by  watch- 
ing an  expert  gardener  while  giving  the  annual 
pruning ;  but  the  true  science  of  trimming  a  vine 
is  best  acquired  by  watching  buds  develop,  by 
noting  what  they  will  do,  where  they  go,  and  how 
much  space  they  will  take  up  in  a  single  summer. 
In  this  way  one  will  eventually  realize  how  much 
is  wrapped  up  in  the  insignificant  little  buds,  and 
how  great  the  folly  of  leaving  too  many  on  the 
vine. 

In  my  next  chapter  I  shall  treat  briefly  of  the 
propagation  of  the  grape,  its  insect  enemies, 
diseases,  etc. ;  and  also  of  some  other  fruits. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  VINEYARD  AND  ORCHARD. 

HE  who  proposes  to  plant  grape-vines  will 
scarcely  fail  to  take  the  sensible  course  of 
inspecting  the  varieties  already  producing  fruit  in 
his  locality.  From  causes  often  too  obscure  to  be 
learned  with  certainty,  excellent  kinds  will  prove 
to  be  well  adapted  to  one  locality,  and  fail  in 
others.  If,  therefore,  when  calling  on  a  neighbor 
during  August,  September,  or  October,  we  are 
shown  a  vine  producing  fruit  abundantly  that  is 
suited  to  our  taste,  a  vine  also  which  manifests 
unmistakable  vigor,  we  may  be  reasonably  sure 
that  it  belongs  to  a  variety  which  we  should  have, 
especially  if  it  be  growing  in  a  soil  and  exposure 
somewhat  similar  to  our  garden  plot.  A  neighbor 
worthy  of  the  name  will  be  glad  to  give  us  a  few 
cuttings  from  his  vine  at  the  time  of  its  annual 
pruning ;  and  with  very  little  trouble  we  also  may 
soon  possess  the  desired  variety.  When  the  vine 
is  trimmed,  either  make  yourself  or  have  your 
friend  make  a  few  cuttings  of  sound  wood  from 
that  season's  growth.  About  eight  inches  is  a  good 


88  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

length  for  these  vine-slips,  and  they  should  con- 
tain at  least  two  buds.  Let  each  slip  be  cut  off 
smoothly  just  under  the  lowest  bud,  and  extend 
an  inch  or  two  above  the  uppermost  bud.  If  these 
cuttings  are  obtained  in  November  or  December, 
they  may  be  put  into  a  little  box  with  some  of  the 
moist  soil  of  the  garden,  and  buried  in  the  ground 
below  the  usual  frost-line,  —  say  a  foot  or  eighteen 
inches  in  our  latitude.  The  simple  object  is  to 
keep  them  in  a  cool,  even  temperature,  but  not  a 
frosty  one.  Early  in  April  dig  up  the  box,  open 
a  trench  in  a  moist  but  not  wet  part  of  the  garden, 
and  insert  the  cuttings  perpendicularly  in  the  soil, 
so  that  the  upper  bud  is  covered  barely  one  inch. 
In  filling  up  the  trench,  press  the  soil  carefully  yet 
firmly  about  the  cuttings,  and  spread  over  the  sur- 
face just  about  them  a  little  fine  manure.  The 
cuttings  should  be  a  foot  apart  from  each  other  in 
the  row.  Do  not  let  the  ground  become  dry  about 
them  at  any  time  during  the  summer.  By  fall 
these  cuttings  will  probably  have  thrown  out  an 
abundance  of  roots,  and  have  made  from  two  to 
three  feet  of  vine.  In  this  case  they  can  be  taken 
up  and  set  out  where  they  are  to  fruit.  Possibly 
but  one  or  two  of  them  have  started  vigorously. 
The  backward  ones  had  better  be  left  to  grow 
another  year  in  the  cutting  bed.  Probably  we  shall 
not  wish  to  cultivate  more  than  one  or  two  vines 


THE  VINEYARD  AND   ORCHARD.  89 

of  the  variety;  but  it  is  just  as  easy  to  start  several 
cuttings  as  one,  and  by  this  course  we  guard  against 
failure,  and  are  able  to  select  the  most  vigorous 
plant  for  our  garden.  By  taking  good  care  of  the 
others  we  soon  derive  one  of  the  best  pleasures 
which  our  acre  can  afford,  —  that  of  giving  to  a 
friend  something  which  will  enhance  the  produc- 
tiveness of  his  acre,  and  add  to  his  enjoyment  for 
years  to  come. 

Not  only  on  our  neighbor's  grounds,  but  also  on 
our  own  we  shall  discover  that  some  varieties  are 
unusually  vigorous,  productive,  and  well-adapted 
to  our  locality ;  and  we  may  very  naturally  wish  to 
have  more  vines  of  the  same  sort,  especially  if  the 
fruit  is  to  our  taste.  We  can  either  increase  this 
kind  by  cuttings,  as  has  been  described,  or  we  can 
layer  part  of  the  vine  that  has  won  our  approval 
by  well-doing.  I  shall  take  the  latter  course  with 
several  delicious  varieties  in  my  vineyard.  Some 
kinds  of  grapes  do  not  root  readily  as  cuttings,  but 
there  is  little  chance  of  failure  in  layering.  This 
process  is  simply  the  laying  down  of  a  branch  of  a 
vine  in  early  spring,  and  covering  it  lightly  with 
soil,  so  that  some  buds  will  be  beneath  the  surface, 
and  others  just  at  or  a  little  above  it.  Those 
beneath  will  form  roots,  the  others  shoots  which 
by  fall  should  be  good  vines  for  planting.  Every 
bud  that  can  reach  the  air  and  light  will  start 


90  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

upward,  and  thus  there  may  be  a  thick  growth  of 
incipient  vines  that  will  crowd  and  enfeeble  each 
other.  The  probabilities  are  that  only  two  or  three 
new  vines  are  wanted ;  therefore  all  the  others 
should  be  rubbed  off  at  the  start,  so  that  the 
strength  of  the  parent  plant  and  of  the  new  roots 
that  are  forming  may  go  into  those  few  shoots  de- 
signed to  become  eventually  a  part  of  our  vine- 
yard. If  we  wish  only  one  vine,  then  but  one  bud 
should  grow  from  the  layer ;  if  two  vines,  then  two 
buds.  The  fewer  buds  that  are  permitted  to  grow, 
the  stronger  vines  they  make. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  this  layer,  for  the 
greater  part  of  the  growing  season,  is  drawing  its 
sustenance  from  the  parent  plant,  to  which  it  is  still 
attached.  Therefore  the  other  branches  of  this 
vine  thus  called  upon  for  unusual  effort  should  be 
permitted  to  fruit  but  sparingly.  We  should  not 
injure  and  enfeeble  the  original  vine  in  order  to  get 
others  like  it.  For  this  reason  we  advise  that  no 
more  buds  be  permitted  to  grow  from  the  layer 
than  we  actually  need  ourselves.  To  injure  a  good 
vine  and  deprive  ourselves  of  fruit  that  we  may 
have  plants  to  give  away,  is  to  love  one's  neighbor 
better  than  one's  self —  a  thing  permitted,  but  not 
required.  When  our  vines  are  pruned,  we  can 
make  as  many  cuttings  as  we  choose,  either  to 
sell  or  give  away. 


THE  VINEYARD  AND  ORCHARD.  91 

The  ground  in  which  a  layer  is  placed  should  be 
very  rich,  and  its  surface  round  the  young  grow- 
ing vines  always  kept  moist  and  free  from  weeds. 
In  the  autumn,  after  the  leaves  have  fallen  and  the 
wood  is  ripe  and  hard,  cut  off  the  layered  branch 
close  to  the  vine,  and  with  a  garden-fork  gently 
and  carefully  lift  it,  with  all  its  roots  and  young 
vines  attached,  out  of  the  soil.  First  cut  the  young 
vines  back  to  three  or  four  buds,  then  separate  them 
from  the  branch  from  which  they  grew,  being  sure 
to  give  each  plant  plenty  of  roots,  and  the  roots  back 
of  the  point  from  which  it  grew ;  that  is,  those  roots 
nearest  the  parent  plant  from  which  the  branch 
was  layered.  All  the  old  wood  of  the  branch  that 
is  naked,  free  of  roots,  should  be  cut  off.  The 
young  shoots  thus  separated  are  now  independent 
vines,  and  may  be  set  out  at  once  where  they 
are  to  fruit.  If  you  have  a  variety  that  does  not 
do  well,  or  that  you  do  not  like,  dig  it  out,  enrich 
the  soil,  and  put  one  of  your  favorites  in  its  place. 

We  will  now  consider  briefly  the  diseases  and 
insect  enemies  of  the  grape.  A  vine  may  be 
doomed  to  ill-health  from  its  very  situation.  Mr. 
Hussman,  a  grape-culturist  of  great  experience 
and  wide  observation,  writes :  "  Those  localities 
may  generally  be  considered  safe  for  the  grape  in 
which  there  are  no  miasmatic  influences.  Where 
malaria  and  fevers  prevail,  there  is  no  safety  for 


92  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

the  crop,  as  the  vine  seems  to  be  as  susceptible  to 
such  influences  as  human  beings." 

Taking  this  statement  literally,  we  may  well  ask, 
Where,  then,  can  grapes  be  grown?  According  to 
physicians,  malaria  has  become  one  of  the  most 
generally  diffused  products  of  the  country.  When 
a  man  asserts  that  it  is  not  in  his  locality,  we  feel 
sure  that  if  pressed  he  will  admit  that  it  is  "  round 
the  corner."  Country  populations  still  survive, 
however,  and  so  does  grape-culture.  Yet  there 
are  low-lying  regions  which  from  defective  drain- 
age are  distinctively  and,  it  would  almost  seem, 
hopelessly  malarial.  In  such  localities  but  few 
varieties  of  the  vine  will  thrive.  The  people  who 
are  compelled  to  live  there,  or  who  choose  to  do 
so,  should  experiment  until  they  obtain  varieties 
so  hardy  and  vigorous  that  they  will  triumph  over 
everything.  The  best  course  with  grape-diseases 
is  not  to  have  them ;  in  other  words,  to  recognize 
the  fact  at  once  that  certain  varieties  of  the  grape 
will  not  thrive  and  be  productive  of  good  fruit  un- 
less the  soil  and  climate  suit  them.  The  proprietor 
of  the  Home  Acre  can  usually  learn  by  a  little  in- 
quiry or  observation  whether  grapes  thrive  in  his 
locality.  If  there  is  much  complaint  of  mildew, 
grape-rot,  and  general  feebleness  of  growth,  he 
should  seek  to  plant  only  the  most  hardy  and 
vigorous  kinds. 


THE  VINEYARD   AND   ORCHARD.  93 

As  I  have  said  before,  our  cultivated  grapes  are 
derived  from  several  native  species  found  growing 
wild,  and  some  now  valued  highly  for  wine-making 
are  nothing  but  wild  grapes  domesticated ;  as,  for 
instance,  Norton's  Virginia,  belonging  to  the  czsti- 
valis  class.  The  original  plant  of  this  variety  was 
found  growing  upon  an  island  in  the  Potomac  by 
Dr.  Norton,  of  Virginia. 

The  species  from  which  the  greatest  number  of 
well-known  .grapes  is  obtained  is  the  Vitis  labrusca, 
the  common  wild  or  fox  grape,  found  growing  in 
woods  and  thickets,  usually  where  the  ground  is 
moist,  from  Canada  to  the  Gulf.  The  dark  purple 
berries,  averaging  about  three  quarters  of  an  inch 
in  diameter,  ripen  in  September,  and  they  contain 
a  tough,  musky  pulp.  Yet  this  "  slip  of  wilderness  " 
is  the  parent  of  the  refined  Catawba,  the  delicious 
Brighton,  and  the  magnificent  white  grape  Lady 
Washington,  —  indeed,  of  all  the  black,  red,  and 
white  grapes  with  which  most  people  are  familiar. 
Our  earliest  grapes,  which  ripen  in  August,  as  well 
as  some  of  the  latest,  like  the  Isabella,  come  from 
the  labrusca  species.  It  is  said  that  the  labrusca 
class  will  not  thrive  in  the  extreme  South ;  and  with 
the  exception  of  the  high  mountain  slopes,  this 
appears  reasonable  to  the  student  of  the  vine.  It 
is  said  that  but  few  of  this  class  will  endure  the 
long  hot  summers  of  France.  But  there  are  great 


94  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

differences  among  the  varieties  derived  from  this 
native  species.  For  example,  the  Concord  thrives 
almost  anywhere,  while  even  here  upon  the  Hud- 
son we  can  scarcely  grow  the  Catawba  with  cer- 
tainty. It  is  so  good  a  grape,  however,  that  I 
persist  in  making  the  effort,  with  varying  success ; 
but  I  should  not  recommend  it,  or  many  of  its 
class,  for  those  localities  not  specially  suited  to 
the  grape. 

I  will  now  name  a  few  varieties  which  have  proved 
to  be,  or  promise  to  be,  the  most  thrifty  and  pro- 
ductive wherever  grapes  can  be  grown  at  all.  The 
labrusca  class :  Black  —  Concord,  Wilder,  Worden, 
Amenia,  Early  Canada,  Telegraph  or  Christine, 
Moore's  Early.  Red  —  Wyoming,  Goethe,  Lind- 
ley,  Beauty,  Brighton,  Perkins  (pale  red),  and 
Agawam.  White  —  Rebecca,  Martha,  Allen's  Hy- 
brid, Lady  Pocklington,  Prentiss,  Lady  Washing- 
ton. These  are  all  fine  grapes,  and  they  have 
succeeded  throughout  wide  areas  of  country.  Any 
and  all  are  well  worth  a  trial ;  but  if  the  grower  finds 
that  some  of  them  are  weak  and  diseased  in  his 
grounds,  I  should  advise  that  he  root  them  out 
and  replace  them  with  those  which  thrive.  The 
Niagara  is  highly  praised,  and  may  make  good  all 
that  is  claimed  for  it. 

Of  the  (zstivalis  class  I  can  recommend  the  Cyn- 
thiana  and  the  Herbemont,  or  Warren,  for  the 


THE  VINEYARD  AND  ORCHARD.  95 

extreme  South.  Both  of  them  are  black.  There 
are  new  varieties  of  this  vigorous  species  which 
promise  well. 

The  cordifolia  species  promises  to  furnish  some 
fine,  hardy,  and  productive  grapes,  of  which  the 
Amber  is  an  example.  The  Elvira,  a  pale  yellow 
grape,  is  highly  praised  by  Mr.  Hussman.  Al- 
though the  Bacchus  is  distinctively  a  wine  grape, 
I  have  already  said  that  its  flavor,  when  fully  ripe, 
was  agreeable  to  me.  The  only  difficulty  in  grow- 
ing it  is  to  keep  the  ground  poor,  and  use  the 
pruning-knife  freely. 

I  have  enlarged  on  this  point,  for  I  wish  to  direct 
the  mind  of  the  reader  to  the  fact  that  there  are 
many  very  hardy  grapes.  I  congratulate  those 
who,  with  the  taste  of  a  connoisseur,  have  merely 
to  sample  until  they  find  just  the  varieties  that 
suit  them,  and  then  to  plant  these  kinds  in  their 
genial  soil  and  favored  locality. 

At  the  same  time  I  should  like  to  prevent  others 
from  worrying  along  with  unsatisfactory  varieties, 
or  from  reaching  the  conclusion  that  they  cannot 
grow  grapes  in  their  region  or  garden.  Let  them 
rather  admit  that  they  cannot  raise  some  kinds, 
but  may  others.  If  a  variety  was  persistently 
diseased,  feeble,  and  unproductive  under  good 
treatment,  I  should  root  it  out  rather  than  con- 
tinue to  nurse  and  coddle  it. 


96  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

When  mildew  and  grape-rot  first  appear,  the 
evil  can  often  be  remedied  in  part  by  dusting  the 
vines  with  sulphur,  and  continuing  the  process 
until  the  disease  is  cured,  if  it  ever  is.  I  have 
never  had  occasion  to  do  this,  and  will  not  do  it. 
A  variety  that  often  requires  such  nursing  in  this 
favored  locality  should  be  discarded. 

There  is  one  kind  of  disease,  or  feebleness 
rather,  to  which  we  are  subject  everywhere,  and 
from  which  few  varieties  are  exempt.  It  is  the 
same  kind  of  weakness  which  would  be  developed 
in  a  fine  sound  horse  if  we  drove  him  until  he 
dropped  down  every  time  we  took  him  out.  Cul- 
tivated vines  are  so  far  removed  from  their  natural 
conditions  that  they  will  often  bear  themselves  to 
death,  like  a  peach-tree.  To  permit  this  is  a  true 
instance  of  avarice  overreaching  itself;  or  the  evil 
may  result  from  ignorance  or  neglect.  Close  pru- 
ning in  autumn  and  thinning  out  the  crowding 
clusters  soon  after  they  have  formed  is  the  remedy. 
If  a  vine  had  been  so  enfeebled,  I  should  cut  it 
back  rigorously,  feed  it  well,  and  permit  it  to  bear 
very  little  fruit,  if  any,  for  a  year. 

Of  insect  enemies  we  have  the  phylloxera  of 
bad  eminence,  which  has  so  dismayed  Europe. 
The  man  who  could  discover  and  patent  an 
adequate  remedy  in  France  might  soon  rival  a 
Rothschild  in  his  wealth.  The  remedy  abroad 


THE  VINEYARD   AND   ORCHARD.  97 

is  also  ours,  —  to  plant  varieties  which  are  phyl- 
loxera-proof, or  nearly  so.  Fortunately  we  have 
many  which  defy  this  pestiferous  little  root-louse, 
and  European  vine-growers  have  been  importing 
them  by  the  million.  They  are  still  used  chiefly 
as  stocks  on  which  to  graft  varieties  of  the  vinifera 
species.  In  California,  grapes  of  the  vinifera  or 
European  species  are  generally  cultivated ;  but  the 
phylloxera  is  at  its  destructive  work  among  them. 
The  wine-grapes  of  the  future  throughout  the 
world  may  be  developed  from  the  hardy  astivalis 
and  cordifolia  classes.  In  many  localities,  even 
in  this  new  land,  varieties  like  the  Delaware  suc- 
cumb to  this  scourge  of  foreign  vineyards. 

The  aphis,  or  plant-louse,  sometimes  attacks 
the  young,  tender  shoots  of  the  vine.  The  moment 
they  appear,  take  off  the  shoot,  and  crush  it^  on 
a  board  with  the  foot.  Leaf-rollers,  the  grape-vine 
sphinx,  and  caterpillars  in  general  must  be  caught 
by  hand  and  killed.  Usually  they  are  not  very 
numerous.  The  horrid  little  rose-chafers  or  rose- 
bugs  are  sometimes  very  destructive.  Our  best 
course  is  to  take  a  basin  of  water  and  jar  them  off 
into  it,  —  they  fall  readily,  —  and  then  scald  them 
to  death.  We  may  discover  lady-bugs  —  small 
red  or  yellow  and  black  beetles  —  among  our 
vines,  and  many  persons,  I  fear,  will  destroy  them 
with  the  rest.  We  should  take  off  our  hats  to 

1 


98  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

them  and  wish  them  godspeed.  In  their  destruc- 
tion of  aphides  and  thrips  they  are  among  our 
best  friends.  The  camel-cricket  is  another  active 
destroyer  of  injurious  insects.  Why  do  not  our 
schools  teach  a  little  practical  natural  history? 
Once,  when  walking  in  the  Catskills,  I  saw  the 
burly  driver  of  a  stage-load  of  ladies  bound  out 
of  his  vehicle  to  kill  a  garter-snake,  the  pallid 
women  looking  on,  meanwhile,  as  if  the  earth 
was  being  rid  of  some  terrible  and  venomous  thing. 
They  ought  to  have  known  that  the  poor  little 
reptile  was  as  harmless  as  one  of  their  own  garters, 
and  quite  as  useful  in  its  way.  Every  country 
boy  and  girl  should  be  taught  to  recognize  all 
our  helpers  in  our  incessant  fight  with  insect  ene- 
mies,—  a  fight  which  must  be  maintained  with 
more  organized  vigor  and  intelligence  than  at 
present,  if  horticulture  is  ever  to  reach  its  best 
development. 

Wasps  and  hornets  often  swarm  about  the  sweet 
and  early  ripe  varieties.  A  wide-mouthed  bottle 
partially  filled  with  molasses  and  water  will  entrap 
and  drown  great  numbers  of  these  ugly  customers. 
Some  of  our  favorite  birds  try  our  patience  not  a 
little.  During  the  early  summer  I  never  wearied 
of  watching  the  musical  orioles  flashing  with  their 
bright  hues  in  and  out  of  the  foliage  about  the 
house ;  but  when  the  early  grapes  were  ripe,  they 


THE  VINEYARD  AND    ORCHARD.  99 

took  pay  for  their  music  with  the  sang-froid  of 
a  favorite  prima  donna.  On  one  occasion  I  saw 
three  or  four  alight  on  a  Diana  vine,  and  in  five 
minutes  they  had  spoiled  a  dozen  clusters.  If 
they  would  only  take  a  bunch  and  eat  it  up  clean, 
one  would  readily  share  with  them,  for  there  would 
be  enough  for  all ;  but  the  dainty  little  epicures 
puncture  an  indefinite  number  of  berries,  merely 
taking  a  sip. from  each.  Then  the  wasps  and  bees 
come  along  and  finish  the  clusters.  The  cardinal, 
cat-bird,  and  our  unrivalled  songster  the  wood- 
thrush,  all  help  themselves  in  the  same  wasteful 
fashion.  One  can't  shoot  wood-thrushes.  We 
should  almost  as  soon  think  of  killing  off  our 
Nilssons,  Nevadas,  and  Carys.  The  only  thing  to 
do  is  to  protect  the  clusters ;  and  this  can  be  ac- 
complished in  several  ways.  The  most  expeditious 
and  satisfactory  method  is  to  cover  the  vines  of 
early  grapes  with  cheap  mosquito  netting.  An- 
other method  is  to  make  little  bags  of  this  netting 
and  enclose  each  cluster.  Last  fall,  two  of  my 
children  tied  up  many  hundreds  of  clusters  in  little 
paper  bags,  which  can  be  procured  at  wholesale 
for  a  trifling  sum.  The  two  lower  corners  of  the 
paper  bags  should  be  clipped  off  to  permit  the 
rain  to  pass  freely  through  them.  Clusters  ripen 
better,  last  longer  on  the  vine,  and  acquire  a  more 
exquisite  bloom  and  flavor  in  this  retirement  than 


100  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

if  exposed  to  light  as  well  as  to  birds  and  wasps. 
Not  the  fruit  but  the  foliage  of  the  grape-vine 
needs  the  sun. 

Few  of  the  early  grapes  will  keep  long  after 
being  taken  from  the  vine ;  but  some  of  the  later 
ones  can  be  preserved  well  into  the  winter  by 
putting  them  in  small  boxes  and  storing  them 
where  the  temperature  is  cool,  even,  and  dry. 
Some  of  the  wine-grapes,  like  Norton's  Virginia, 
will  keep  under  these  conditions  almost  like  winter 
apples.  One  October  day  I  took  a  stone  pot  of 
the  largest  size  and  put  in  first  a  layer  of  Isabella 
grapes,  then  a  double  thickness  of  straw  paper, 
then  alternate  layers  of  grapes  and  paper,  until  the 
pot  was  full.  A  cloth  was  next  pasted  over  the 
stone  cover,  so  as  to  make  the  pot  water-tight. 
The  pot  was  then  buried  on  a  dry  knoll  below  the 
reach  of  frost,  and  dug  up  again  on  New- Year's 
Day.  The  grapes  looked  and  tasted  as  if  they 
had  just  been  picked  from  the  vine. 

For  the  mysteries  of  hybridizing  and  raising 
new  seedlings,  grafting,  hot-house  and  cold  grapery 
culture,  the  reader  must  look  in  more  extended 
works  than  this,  and  to  writers  who  have  had 
experience  in  these  matters. 

We  shall  next  consider  three  fruits  which  upon 
the  Home  Acre  may  be  regarded  as  forming  a 
natural  group,  —  peaches,  plums,  and  raspberries. 


THE  VINEYARD   AND   ORCHARD.  IOI 

If  any  one  expresses  surprise  that  the  last-named 
fruit  should  be  given  this  relationship,  I  have 
merely  to  reply  that  the  raspberry  thrives  in  the 
partial  shade  produced  by  such  small  trees  as  the 
peach  and  plum.  Where  there  is  need  of  economy 
of  space  it  is  well  to  take  advantage  of  this  fact, 
for  but  few  products  of  the  garden  give  any  sat- 
isfaction when  contending  with  roots  below  and 
shade  above. 

We  have  taken  it  for  granted  that  some  grape- 
vines would  be  planted  in  the  two  borders  extend- 
ing through  the  centre  of  the  garden,  also  that 
there  would  be  spaces  left  which  might  be  filled 
with  peach  and  plum  trees  and  small  flowering 
shrubs.  If  there  is  to  be  a  good-sized  poultry- 
yard  upon  the  acre,  we  should  advise  that  plums 
be  planted  in  that ;  but  we  will  speak  of  this  fruit 
later,  and  now  give  our  attention  to  that  fruit  which 
to  the  taste  of  many  is  unrivalled,  —  the  peach. 

With  the  exception  of  the  strawberry,  it  is 
perhaps  the  only  fruit  for  which  I  prefer  spring 
planting.  At  the  same  time,  I  should  not  hesitate 
to  set  out  the  trees  in  autumn.  The  ground  should 
be  good,  but  not  too  highly  fertilized.  I  prefer 
young  trees  but  one  year  old  from  the  bud.  If 
set  out  in  the  fall,  I  should  mound  up  the  earth 
eighteen  inches  about  them,  to  protect  the  roots 
and  stem,  and  to  keep  the  tree  firmly  in  the  soil. 


IO2  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

With  this  precaution,  I  am  not  sure  but  that  fall 
planting  has  the  greater  advantage,  except  when 
the  climate  is  very  severe  and  subject  to  great 
alternations.  Plant  with  the  same  care  and  on  the 
same  principles  which  have  been  already  described. 
If  a  careful  system  of  pruning  is  to  be  adopted, 
the  trees  may  be  set  out  twelve  feet  apart ;  but  if 
they  are  to  be  left  to  grow  at  will,  which  I  regret 
to  say  is  the  usual  practice,  they  should  be  planted 
fifteen  feet  from  each  other. 

There  are  many  good  reasons  why  the  com- 
mon orchard  culture  of  the  peach  should  not  be 
adopted  in  the  garden.  There  is  no  fruit  more 
neglected  and  ill-treated  than  the  beautiful  and 
delicious  peach.  The  trees  are  very  cheap,  usually 
costing  but  a  few  cents  each ;  they  are  bought  by 
the  thousand  from  careless  dealers,  planted  with 
scarcely  the  attention  given  to  a  cabbage-plant, 
and  too  often  allowed  to  bear  themselves  to  death. 
The  land,  trees,  and  cultivation  cost  so  little  that 
one  good  crop  is  expected  to  remunerate  for  all 
outlay.  If  more  crops  are  obtained,  there  is  so 
much  clear  gain.  Under  this  slovenly  treatment 
there  is,  of  course,  rapid  deterioration  in  the  stam- 
ina of  the  peach.  Pits  and  buds  are  taken  from 
enfeebled  trees  for  the  purpose  of  propagation, 
and  so  tendencies  to  disease  are  perpetuated  and 
enhanced.  Little  wonder  that  the  fatal  malady, 


THE   VINEYARD  AND   ORCHARD.  103 

the  "  yellows,"  has  blighted  so  many  hopes !  I 
honestly  believe  that  millions  of  trees  have  been 
sold  in  which  this  disease  existed  from  the  bud. 
If  fine  peaches  were  bred  and  propagated  with 
something  of  the  same  care  that  is  bestowed  on 
blooded  stock,  the  results  would  soon  be  propor- 
tionate. Gardeners  abroad  often  give  more  care  to 
one  tree  than  hundreds  receive  here.  Because  the 
peach  has  grown  so  easily  in  our  climate,  we  have 
imposed  on  its  good-nature  beyond  the  limits  of 
endurance,  and  consequently  it  is  not  easy  to  get 
sound,  healthful  trees  that  will  bear  year  after  year 
under  the  best  of  treatment,  as  they  did  with  our 
fathers  with  no  care  at  all.  I  should  look  to  men 
who  had  made  a  reputation  for  sending  out  sound, 
healthful  stock  grown  under  their  own  eyes  from 
pits  and  wood  which  they  know  to  be  free  from 
disease.  Do  not  try  to  save  a  few  pennies  on  the 
first  cost  of  trees,  for  the  probabilities  are  that 
such  economy  will  result  in  little  more  than  the 
"yellows." 

In  large  orchards,  cultivated  by  horse- power,  the 
stems  of  the  trees  are  usually  from  four  to  six  feet 
high ;  but  in  the  garden  this  length  of  stem  is  not 
necessary,  and  the  trees  can  be  grown  as  dwarf 
standards,  with  stems  beginning  to  branch  two  feet 
from  the  ground.  A  little  study  of  the  habit  of 
growth  in  the  peach  will  show  that,  to  obtain  the 


104  THE    HOME   ACRE. 

best  results,  the  priming-shears  are  almost  as  essen- 
tial as  in  the  case  of  the  grape-vine.  More  than 
in  any  other  fruit-tree,  the  sap  tends  strongly  to- 
wards the  ends  of  the  shoots.  Left  to  Nature,  only 
the  terminal  buds  of  these  will  grow  from  year  to 
year;  the  other  buds  lower  down  on  the  shoots 
fail  and  drop  off.  Thus  we  soon  have  long  naked 
reaches  of  unproductive  wood,  or  sucker-like 
sprouts  starting  from  the  bark,  which  are  worse 
than  useless.  Our  first  aim  should  be  to  form  a 
round,  open,  symmetrical  head,  shortening  in  the 
shoots  at  least  one  half  each  year,  and  cutting  out 
crossing  and  interlacing  branches.  For  instance,  if 
we  decide  to  grow  our  trees  as  dwarf  standards, 
we  shall  cut  back  the  stems  at  a  point  two  feet  from 
the  ground  the  first  spring  after  planting,  and  let 
but  three  buds  grow,  to  make  the  first  three  or 
leading  branches.  The  following  spring  we  shall 
cut  back  the  shoots  that  have  formed,  so  as  to 
make  six  leading  branches.  Thereafter  we  shall 
continue  to  cut  out  and  back  so  as  to  maintain  an 
open  head  for  the  free  circulation  of  air  and 
light. 

To  learn  the  importance  of  rigorous  and  careful 
pruning,  observe  the  shoots  of  a  vigorous  peach 
tree,  say  three  or  four  years  old.  These  shoots  or 
sprays  are  long  and  slender,  lined  with  fruit-buds. 
You  will  often  find  two  fruit-buds  together,  with  a 


THE  VINEYARD   AND   ORCHARD.  105 

leaf-bud  between  them.  If  the  fruit-buds  have 
been  uninjured  by  the  winter,  they  will  nearly  all 
form  peaches,  far  more  than  the  slender  spray  can 
support  or  mature.  The  sap  will  tend  to  give  the 
most  support  to  all  growth  at  the  end  of  the  spray 
or  branch.  The  probable  result  will  be  that  you 
will  have  a  score,  more  or  less,  of  peaches  that  are 
little  beyond  skin  and  stones.  By  midsummer  the 
brittle  sprays  will  break,  or  the  limbs  split  down  at 
the  crotches.  You  may  have  myriads  of  peaches, 
but  none  fit  for  market  or  table.  Thousands  of 
baskets  are  sent  to  New  York  annually  that  do 
not  pay  the  expenses  of  freight,  commission,  etc. ; 
while  the  orchards  from  which  they  come  are  prac- 
tically ruined.  I  had  two  small  trees  from  which, 
one  autumn,  I  sold  ten  dollars'  worth  of  fruit. 
They  yielded  more  profit  than  is  often  obtained 
from  a  hundred  trees. 

Now,  in  the  light  of  these  facts,  realize  the  ad- 
vantages secured  by  cutting  back  the  shoots  or 
sprays  so  as  to  leave  but  three  or  four  fruit-buds 
on  each.  The  tree  can  probably  mature  these 
buds  into  large,  beautiful  peaches,  and  still  main- 
tain its  vigor.  By  this  shortening-in  process  you 
have  less  tree,  but  more  fruit.  The  growth  is  di- 
rected and  kept  within  proper  limits,  and  the  tree 
preserved  for  future  usefulness.  Thus  the  peach- 
trees  of  the  garden  will  not  only  furnish  some  of 


106  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

the  most  delicious  morsels  of  the  year,  but  also  a 
very  agreeable  and  light  phase  of  labor.  They 
can  be  made  pets  which  will  amply  repay  all  kind- 
ness; and  the  attentions  they  most  appreciate, 
strange  to  say,  are  cutting  and  pinching.  The 
pruning-shears  in  March  and  early  April  can  cut 
away  forming  burdens  which  could  not  be  borne, 
and  pinching  back  during  the  summer  can  main- 
tain beauty  and  symmetry  in  growth.  When  the 
proprietor  of  the  Home  Acre  has  learned  from  ex- 
perience to  do  this  work  judiciously,  his  trees,  like 
the  grape-vines,  will  afford  many  hours  of  agree- 
able and  healthful  recreation.  If  he  regards  it  as 
labor,  one  great,  melting,  luscious  peach  will  repay 
him.  A  small  apple,  pear,  or  strawberry  usually 
has  the  flavor  of  a  large  one ;  but  a  peach  to  be 
had  in  perfection  must  be  fully  matured  to  its  limit 
of  growth  on  a  healthful  tree. 

Let  no  one  imagine  that  the  shortening  in  of 
shoots  recommended  consists  of  cutting  the  young 
sprays  evenly  all  round  the  tree  as  one  would  shear 
a  hedge.  It  more  nearly  resembles  the  pruning  of 
the  vine  ;  for  the  peach,  like  the  vine,  bears  its  fruit 
only  on  the  young  wood  of  the  previous  summer's 
growth.  The  aim  should  be  to  have  this  young 
bearing  wood  distributed  evenly  over  the  tree,  as 
should  be  true  of  a  grape-vine.  When  the  trees 
are  kept  low,  as  dwarf  standards,  the  fruit  is  more 


THE  VINEYARD  AND   ORCHARD.  107 

within  reach,  and  less  liable  to  be  blown  off  by 
high  winds.  Gradually,  however,  if  the  trees  prove 
healthful,  they  will  get  high  enough  up  in  the 
world. 

Notwithstanding  the  rigorous  pruning  recom- 
mended, the  trees  will  often  overload  themselves ; 
and  thinning  out  the  young  peaches  when  as  large 
as  hickory  nuts  is  almost  imperative  if  we  would 
secure  good  fruit.  Men  of  experience  say  that 
when  a  tree  has  set  too  much  fruit,  if  two  thirds  of 
it  are  taken  off  while  little,  the  remaining  third 
will  measure  and  weigh  more  than  would  the  entire 
crop,  and  bring  three  times  as  much  money.  In 
flavor  and  beauty  the  gain  will  certainly  be  more 
than  double. 

Throughout  its  entire  growth  and  fruiting  life 
the  peach-tree  needs  good  cultivation,  and  also  a 
good  but  not  over-stimulated  soil.  Well-decayed 
compost  from  the  cow-stable  is  probably  the  best 
barn-yard  fertilizer.  Wood-ashes  are  peculiarly 
agreeable  to  the  constitution  of  this  tree,  and  tend 
to  maintain  it  in  health  and  bearing  long  after 
others  not  so  treated  are  dead.  I  should  advise 
that  half  a  peck  be  worked  in  lightly  every  spring 
around  each  tree  as  far  as  the  branches  extend. 
When  enriching  the  ground  about  a  tree,  never 
heap  the  fertilizer  round  the  trunk,  but  spread 
it  evenly  from  the  stem  outward  as  far  as  the 


108  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

branches  reach,  remembering  that  the  head  above 
is  the  measure  of  the  root  extension  below. 
Air-slacked  lime  is  also  useful  to  the  peach  in 
small  quantities;  and  so,  no  doubt,  would  be  a 
little  salt  from  time  to  time.  Bone-meal  is  highly 
recommended. 

Like  other  fruit-trees,  the  peach  does  not  thrive 
on  low,  wet  ground,  and  the  fruit-buds  are  much 
more  apt  to  be  winter-killed  in  such  localities.  A 
light,  warm  soil  is  regarded  as  the  most  favorable. 

Of  course  we  can  grow  this  fruit  on  espaliers,  as 
they  do  abroad ;  but  there  are  few  localities  where 
any  advantage  is  to  be  derived  from  this  course. 
In  our  latitude  I  much  prefer  cool  northern  expo- 
sures, for  the  reason  that  the  fruit-buds  are  kept 
dormant  during  warm  spells  in  winter,  and  so  late 
in  spring  that  they  escape  injury  from  frost.  Al- 
ternate freezing  and  thawing  is  more  harmful  than 
steady  cold.  The  buds  are  seldom  safe,  however, 
at  any  time  when  the  mercury  sinks  ten  or  fifteen 
degrees  below  zero. 

As  we  have  intimated,  abuse  of  the  peach-tree 
has  developed  a  fatal  disease,  known  as  the  "  yel- 
lows." It  manifests  itself  in  yellow,  sickly  foliage, 
numerous  and  feeble  sprouts  along  the  larger  limbs 
and  trunk,  and  small,  miserable  fruit,  ripening  pre- 
maturely. I  can  almost  taste  the  yellows  in  much 
of  the  fruit  bought  in  market.  Some  regard  the 


THE  VINEYARD  AND   ORCHARD.  IOQ 

disease  as  very  contagious ;  others  do  not.  It  is 
best  to  be  on  the  safe  side.  If  a  tree  is  affected 
generally,  dig  it  out  by  the  roots  and  burn  it  at 
once ;  if  only  a  branch  shows  evidence  of  the  mal- 
ady, cut  it  off  well  back,  and  commit  it  to  the 
flames.  The  only  remedy  is  to  propagate  from 
trees  in  sound  health  and  vigor. 

Like  the  apple,  the  peach-tree  is  everywhere 
subject  to  injury  from  a  borer,  named  "  exitiosa,  or 
the  destructive."  The  eggs  from  which  these  little 
pests  are  hatched  are  laid  by  the  moth  during  the 
summer  upon  the  stem  of  the  tree  very  near  the 
root ;  the  grubs  bore  through  the  outer  bark,  and 
devour  the  inner  bark  and  sap-wood.  Fortunately 
they  soon  reveal  their  evil  work  by  the  castings, 
and  by  the  gum  which  exudes  from  the  hole  by 
which  they  entered.  They  cannot  do  much  harm, 
unless  a  tree  is  neglected ;  in  this  case,  however, 
they  will  soon  enfeeble,  and  probably  destroy  it. 
When  once  within  a  tree,  borers  must  be  cut  out 
with  a  sharp-pointed  knife,  carefully  yet  thorough- 
ly. The  wounds  from  the  knife  may  be  severe, 
but  the  ceaseless  gnawing  of  the  grub  is  fatal.  If 
the  tree  has  been  lacerated  to  some  extent,  a  plas- 
ter of  moistened  clay  or  cow- manure  makes  a  good 
salve.  Keeping  the  borers  out  of  the  tree  is  far 
better  than  taking  them  out;  and  this  can  be 
effected  by  wrapping  the  stem  at  the  ground  — 


110  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

two  inches  below  the  surface,  and  five  above — with 
strong  hardware  or  sheathing  paper.  If  this  is 
tied  tightly  about  the  tree,  the  moth  cannot  lay 
its  eggs  upon  the  stem.  A  neighbor  of  mine  has 
used  this  protection  not  only  on  the  peach,  but  also 
on  the  apple,  with  almost  complete  success.  Of 
course  the  pests  will  try  to  find  their  way  under  it, 
and  it  would  be  well  to  take  off  the  wrapper  occa- 
sionally and  examine  the  trees.  The  paper  must 
also  be  renewed  before  it  is  so  far  decayed  as  to  be 
valueless.  It  should  be  remembered  also  that  the 
borer  will  attack  the  trees  from  the  first  year  of 
life  to  the  end. 

In  order  to  insure  an  unfailing  supply  of  this 
delicious  fruit,  I  should  advise  that  a  few  trees  be 
set  out  every  spring.  The  labor  and  expense  are 
scarcely  greater  than  that  bestowed  upon  a  cab- 
bage patch,  and  the  reward  is  more  satisfactory. 

For  this  latitude  the  following  choice  of  varieties 
will  prove,  I  think,  a  good  one :  Early  Alexander, 
Early  Rivers,  Princess  of  Wales,  Brandywine,  Old 
Mixon  Free,  Stump  the  World,  Picquet's  Late, 
Crawford's  Late,  Mary's  Choice,  White  Free  Heath, 
Salway,  and  Lord  Palmerston. 

If  the  soil  of  one's  garden  is  a  stiff,  cold,  adhe- 
sive clay,  the  peach  would  succeed  much  better 
budded  or  grafted  on  plum-stocks.  Some  of  the 
finest  fruit  I  have  ever  seen  was  from  seedlings, 


THE  VINEYARD  AND   ORCHARD.  Ill 

the  trees  having  been  grown  from  pits  of  unusually 
good  peaches.  While  the  autumn  planting  of  pits 
lightly  in  the  soil  and  permitting  them  to  develop 
into  bearing  trees  is  a  pleasing  and  often  profitable 
amusement,  there  is  no  great  probability  that  the 
result  will  be  desirable.  We  hear  of  the  occa- 
sional prizes  won  in  this  way,  but  not  of  the  many 
failures. 

By  easy  transition  we  pass  to  the  kindred  fruit, 
the  plum,  which  does  not  generally  receive  the 
attention  it  deserves.  If  one  has  a  soil  suited  to  it, 
—  a  heavy  clay  or  loam,  —  it  can  usually  be  grown 
very  easily.  The  fruit  is  so  grateful  to  the  taste 
and  useful  to  the  housekeeper  that  it  should  be 
given  a  fair  trial,  either  in  the  garden  borders  or 
wherever  a  tree  can  be  planted  so  as  to  secure 
plenty  of  light  and  air.  The  young  trees  may  be 
one  or  two  years  old  from  the  bud ;  I  should  pre- 
fer the  former,  if  vigorous.  Never  be  induced  to 
purchase  old  trees  by  promises  of  speedy  fruit. 
It  is  quite  possible  you  may  never  get  any  fruit  at 
all  from  them  worth  mentioning.  I  should  allow  a 
space  of  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  between  the  trees 
when  they  are  planted  together,  and  I  should  cut 
them  back  so  that  they  would  begin  to  branch  at 
two  feet  from  the  ground.  Long,  naked  stems  are 
subject  to  the  gum-disease. 

In  the  place  of  general  advice  in  regard  to  this 


112  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

fruit  I  shall  give  the  experience  of  Mr.  T.  S.  Force, 
of  Newburgh,  who  exhibited  seventy  varieties  at 
the  last  annual  Orange  County  fair. 
.  His  plum-orchard  is  a  large  poultry-yard,  con- 
taining half  an  acre,  of  which  the  ground  is  a  good 
loam,  resting  on  a  heavy  clay  subsoil.  He  bought 
trees  but  one  year  from  the  bud,  set  them  out  in 
autumn,  and  cut  them  back  so  that  they  began  to 
form  their  heads  at  two  feet  from  the  ground. 
He  prefers  starting  with  strong  young  plants  of 
this  age,  and  he  did  not  permit  them  to  bear  for 
the  first  three  years,  his  primal  aim  being  to  de- 
velop a  healthy,  vigorous  tree  with  a  round,  sym- 
metrical head.  During  this  period  the  ground 
about  them  was  kept  mellow  by  good  cultivation, 
and,  being  rich  enough  to  start  with,  received  no 
fertilizers.  It  is  his  belief  that  over-fertilization 
tends  to  cause  the  disease  so  well  known  as  the 
"  black  knot,"  which  has  destroyed  many  orchards 
in  this  vicinity.  If  the  garden  has  been  enriched 
as  I  have  directed,  the  soil  will  probably  need 
little,  if  anything,  from  the  stables,  and  certainly 
will  not  if  the  trees  are  grown  in  a  poultry-yard. 
During  this  growing  and  forming  period  Mr. 
Force  gave  careful  attention  to  pruning.  Budded 
trees  are  not  even  symmetrical  growers,  but  tend  to 
send  up  a  few  very  strong  shoots  that  rob  the  rest 
of  the  tree  of  sustenance.  Of  course  these  must 


THE  VINEYARD   AND   ORCHARD.  113 

be  cut  well  back  in  early  spring,  or  we  have  long, 
naked  reaches  of  wood  and  a  deformed  tree.  It  is 
far  better,  however,  not  to  let  these  rampant  shoots 
grow  to  maturity,  but  to  pinch  them  back  in  early 
summer,  thus  causing  them  to  throw  out  side- 
branches.  By  summer  pinching  and  rubbing  off 
of  tender  shoots  a  tree  can  be  made  to  grow  in  any 
shape  we  desire.  When  the  trees  receive  no  sum- 
mer pruning,  Mr.  Force  advises  that  the  branches 
be  shortened  in  at  least  one  half  in  the  spring, 
while  some  shoots  are  cut  back  even  more  rigor- 
ously. At  the  age  of  four  or  five  years,  according 
to  the  vigor  of  the  trees,  he  permits  them  to  bear. 
Now  cultivation  ceases,  and  the  ground  is  left  to 
grow  hard,  but  not  weedy  or  grassy,  beneath  the 
boughs.  Every  spring,  just  as  the  blossoms  are 
falling,  he  spreads  evenly  under  the  branches  four 
quarts  of  salt.  While  the  trees  thrive  and  grow 
fruitful  with  this  fertilizer,  the  curculio,  or  plum- 
weevil,  does  not  appear  to  find  it  at  all  to  its  taste. 
As  a  result  of  his  methods,  Mr.  Force  has  grown 
large  and  profitable  crops,  and  his  trees  in  the 
main  are  kept  healthy  and  vigorous.  His  remedy 
for  the  black  knot  is  to  cut  off  and  burn  the  small 
boughs  and  twigs  affected.  If  the  disease  appears 
in  the  side  of  a  limb  or  in  the  stem,  he  cuts  out  all 
trace  of  it,  and  paints  the  wound  with  a  wash  of 
gum  shellac  and  alcohol. 

8 


114  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

Trees  load  so  heavily  that  the  plums  rest  against 
one  another.  You  will  often  find  in  moist  warm 
weather  decaying  specimens.  These  should  be 
removed  at  once,  that  the  infection  may  not 
spread. 

In  cutting  out  the  interfering  boughs,  do  not 
take  off  the  sharp-pointed  spurs  which  are  forming 
along  the  branches,  for  on  these  are  slowly  matur- 
ing the  fruit-buds.  In  this  case,  as  in  others,  the 
careful  observer,  after  he  has  acquired  a  few  sound 
principles  of  action  to  start  with,  is  taught  more 
by  the  tree  itself  than  from  any  other  source. 

Mr.  Force  recommends  the  following  ten  varie- 
ties, named  in  the  order*  of  ripening:  Canada; 
Orleans,  a  red-cheeked  plum ;  McLaughlin,  green- 
ish, with  pink  cheek;  Bradshaw,  large  red,  with 
lilac  bloom ;  Smith's  Orleans,  purple ;  Green  Gage ; 
Bleeker's  Gage,  golden  yellow;  Prune  d'Agen, 
purple;  Coe's  Golden  Drop;  and  Shropshire 
Damson  for  preserves. 

If  we  are  restricted  to  very  light  soils,  we  shall 
probably  have  to  grow  some  of  the  native  varieties, 
of  the  Canada  and  Wild-Goose  type.  In  regard 
to  both  this  fruit  and  peaches  we  should  be  guided 
in  our  selection  by  information  respecting  varieties 
peculiarly  suited  to  the  region. 

The  next  chapter  will  treat  of  small  fruits,  be- 
ginning with  the  raspberry. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  RASPBERRY. 

THE  wide  and  favorable  consideration  given  to 
small  fruits  clearly  marks  one  of  the  changes 
in  the  world's  history.  This  change  may  seem 
trifling  indeed  to  the  dignified  chroniclers  of  kings 
and  queens  and  others  of  high  descent,  —  great  de- 
scent, it  may  be  added,  remembering  the  moral 
depths  attained;  but  to  those  who  care  for  the 
welfare  of  the  people,  it  is  a  mutation  of  no  slight 
interest.  I  am  glad  to  think,  as  has  been  shown 
in  a  recent  novel,  that  Lucrezia  Borgia  was  not  so 
black  as  she  has  been  painted ;  yet  in  the  early  days 
of  June  and  July,  when  strawberries  and  raspberries 
are  ripening,  I  fancy  that  most  of  us  can  dismiss 
her  and  her  kin  from  mind  as  we  observe  Nature's 
alchemy  in  our  gardens.  When  we  think  of  the 
luscious,  health-imparting  fruits  which  will  grace 
millions  of  tables,  and  remember  that  until  recent 
years  they  were  conspicuous  only  by  their  absence, 
we  may  not  slightingly  estimate  a  great  change  for 
the  better.  Once  these  fruits  were  wildings  which 
the  vast  majority  of  our  forefathers  shared  sparingly 


Il6  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

with  the  birds.  Often  still,  unless  we  are  careful, 
our  share  will  be  small  indeed ;  for  the  unperverted 
taste  of  the  birds  discovered  from  the  first  what 
men  have  been  so  slow  to  learn,  —  that  the  ruby- 
like  berries  are  the  gems  best  worth  seeking.  The 
world  is  certainly  progressing  towards  physical 
redemption  when  even  the  Irish  laborer  abridges 
his  cabbage-patch  for  the  sake  of  small  fruits,  — 
food  which  a  dainty  Ariel  could  not  despise. 

We  have  said  that  raspberries  thrive  in  partial 
shade ;  and  therefore  some  advice  in  regard  to  them 
naturally  follows  our  consideration  of  trees.  Be- 
cause the  raspberry  is  not  so  exacting  as  are  many 
other  products  of  the  garden,  it  does  not  follow 
that  it  should  be  marked  out  for  neglect.  As  it  is 
treated  on  many  places,  the  only  wonder  is  that 
even  the  bushes  survive.  Like  many  who  try  to 
do  their  best  in  adversity,  it  makes  the  most  of 
what  people  term  "  a  chance  to  get  ahead." 

Morever,  the  raspberry  is  perhaps  as  often  injured 
by  mistaken  kindness  as  by  neglect.  If  we  can  im- 
agine it  speaking  for  itself,  it  would  say :  "  It  is  not 
much  that  I  want,  but  in  the  name  of  common-sense 
and  nature  give  me  just  what  I  do  want;  then  you 
may  pick  at  me  to  your  heart's  content." 

The  first  need  of  the  raspberry  is  a  well-drained 
but  not  a  very  dry,  light  soil.  Yet  such  is  its 
adaptability  that  certain  varieties  can  be  grown 


THE   RASPBERRY. 

on  any  land  which  will  produce  a  burdock  or  a 
mullein-stalk.  In  fact,  this  question  of  variety 
chiefly  determines  our  chances  of  success  and  the 
nature  of  our  treatment  of  the  fruit.  The  reader, 
at  the  start,  should  be  enabled  to  distinguish  the 
three  classes  of  raspberries  grown  in  this  country. 

As  was  true  of  grapes,  our  fathers  first  endeav- 
ored to  supply  their  gardens  from  foreign  nurseries, 
neglecting  the  wild  species  with  which  our  woods 
and  roadsides  abounded.  The  raspberry  of  Europe 
(Rubus  idceus)  has  been  developed,  and  in  many  in- 
stances enfeebled,  by  ages  of  cultivation.  Never- 
theless, few  other  fruits  have  shown  equal  power  to 
adapt  themselves  to  our  soil  and  climate,  and  we 
have  obtained  from  foreign  sources  many  valuable 
kinds,  —  as,  for  instance,  the  Antwerp,  which  for 
weeks  together  annually  taxed  the  carrying  power 
of  Hudson  River  steamers.  In  quality  these  for- 
eign kinds  have  never  been  surpassed ;  but  almost 
invariably  they  have  proved  tender  and  fastidious, 
thriving  well  in  some  localities,  and  failing  utterly 
(except  under  the  most  skilful  care)  in  others. 
The  frosts  of  the  North  killed  them  in  winter,  and 
Southern  suns  shrivelled  their  foliage  in  summer. 
Therefore  they  were  not  raspberries  for  the  million, 
but  for  those  who  resided  in  favored  regions,  and 
were  willing  to  bestow  upon  them  much  care  and 
high  culture. 


Il8  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

Eventually  another  process  began,  taking  place 
either  by  chance  or  under  the  skilful  manipulation 
of  the  gardener,  —  that  of  hybridizing,  or  cross- 
ing these  foreign  varieties  with  our  hardier  native 
species.  The  best  results  have  been  attained  more 
frequently,  I  think,  by  chance ;  that  is,  the  bees, 
which  get  more  honey  from  the  raspberry  than 
from  most  other  plants,  carried  the  pollen  from  a 
native  flower  to  the  blossom  of  the  garden  exotic. 
The  seeds  of  the  fruit  eventually  produced  were 
endowed  with  characteristics  of  both  the  foreign  and 
native  strains.  Occasionally  these  seeds  fell  where 
they  had  a  chance  to  grow,  and  so  produced  a  for- 
tuitous seedling  plant  which  soon  matured  into  a 
bearing  bush,  differing  from  both  of  its  parents, 
and  not  infrequently  surpassing  both  in  good  qual- 
ities. Some  one  horticulturally  inclined  having 
observed  the  unusually  fine  fruit  on  the  chance 
plant,  and  believing  that  it  is  a  good  plan  to  help 
the  fittest  to  survive,  marked  the  bush,  and  in  the 
autumn  transferred  it  to  his  garden.  It  speedily 
propagated  itself  by  suckers,  or  young  sprouts 
from  the  roots,  and  he  had  plants  to  sell  or  give 
away.  Such,  "I  believe,  was  the  history  of  the 
Cuthbert,  —  named  after  the  gentleman  who  found 
it,  and  now  probably  the  favorite  raspberry  of 
America. 

Thus  fortuitously,  or  by  the  skill  of  the  gardener, 


THE  RASPBERRY.  119 

the  foreign  and  our  native  species  were  crossed, 
and  a  new  and  hardier  class  of  varieties  obtained. 
The  large  size  and  richness  in  flavor  of  the  Euro- 
pean berry  has  been  bred  into  and  combined  with 
our  smaller  and  more  insipid  indigenous  fruit.  By 
this  process  the  area  of  successful  raspberry  cul- 
ture has  been  extended  almost  indefinitely. 

Within  recent  years  a  third  step  forward  has 
been  taken.  Some  localities  and  soils  were  so 
unsuited  to  the  raspberry  that  no  variety  contain- 
ing even  a  small  percentage  of  the  foreign  element 
could  thrive.  This  fact  led  fruit-growers  to  give 
still  closer  attention  to  our  native  species.  Wild 
bushes  were  found  here  and  there  which  gave  fruit 
of  such  good  quality  and  in  such  large  quantities 
that  they  were  deemed  well  worthy  of  cultivation. 
Many  of  these  wild  specimens  accepted  cultivation 
gratefully,  and  showed  such  marked  improvement 
that  they  were  heralded  over  the  land  as  of  won- 
derful and  surpassing  value.  Some  of  these  pure, 
unmixed  varieties  of  our  native  species  (Rubus 
strigosus)  have  obtained  a  wide  celebrity ;  as,  for 
instance,  the  Brandywine,  Highland  Hardy,  and, 
best  of  all,  the  Turner.  It  should  be  distinctly 
understood,  however,  that,  with  the  exception  of 
the  last-named  kind,  these  native  varieties  are  de- 
cidedly inferior  to  most  of  the  foreign  berries  and 
their  hybrids  or  crosses,  like  the  Cuthbert  and 


I2O  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

Marlboro.  Thousands  have  been  misled  by  their 
praise,  and  have  planted  them  when  they  might 
just  as  easily  have  grown  far  better  kinds.  I  sup- 
pose that  many  wealthy  persons  in  the  latitudes  of 
New  York  and  Boston  have  told  their  gardeners 
(or  more  probably  were  told  by  them)  :  "  We  do 
not  wish  any  of  those  wild  kinds.  Brinckle's 
Orange,  Franconia,  and  the  Antwerp  are  good 
enough  for  us."  So  they  should  be,  for  they  are 
the  best;  but  they  are  all  foreign  varieties,  and 
scarcely  will  live  at  all,  much  Jess  be  productive, 
in  wide  areas  of  the  country. 

I  trust  that  this  preliminary  discussion  in  regard 
to  red  raspberries  will  prepare  the  way  for  the 
advice  to  follow,  and  enable  the  proprietor  of  the 
Home  Acre  to  act  intelligently.  Sensible  men  do 
not  like  to  be  told,  "  You  cannot  do  this,  and  must 
not  do  that,"  —  in  other  words,  to  be  met  the 
moment  they  step  into  their  gardens  by  the  arbi- 
trary dictum  of  A,  B,  or  C.  They  wish  to  unite 
with  Nature  in  producing  certain  results.  Under- 
standing her  simple  laws,  they  work  hopefully, 
confidently;  and  they  cannot  be  imposed  upon 
by  those  who  either  wittingly  or  unwittingly  give 
bad  advice.  Having  explained  the  natural  prin- 
ciples on  which  I  base  my  directions,  I  can  expect 
the  reader  to  follow  each  step  with  the  prospect  of 
success  and  enjoyment  much  enhanced. 


THE   RASPBERRY.  121 

The  question  first  arising  is,  What  shall  we  plant? 
As  before,  I  shall  give  the  selection  of  eminent 
authorities,  then  suggest  to  the  reader  the  restric- 
tions under  which  he  should  make  a  choice  for 
his  own  peculiar  soil  and  climate. 

Dr.  F.  M.  Hexamer,  the  well-known  editor  of  a 
leading  horticultural  journal,  is  recognized  through- 
out the  land  as  having  few,  if  any,  superiors  in  re- 
cent and  practical  acquaintance  with  small  fruits. 
The  following  is  his  selection :  "  Cuthbert,  Turner, 
and  Marlboro."  The  Hon.  Marshall  P.  Wilder's 
choice:  "Brinckle's  Orange,  Franconia,  Cuthbert, 
Herstine,  Shaffer."  The  Hon.  Norman  J.  Colman, 
Commissioner  of  Agriculture :  "  Turner,  Marlboro, 
Cuthbert."  P.  J.  Berckmans,  of  Georgia :  "  Cuth- 
bert, Hansel,  Lost  Rubies,  Imperial  Red."  A.  S. 
Fuller :  "  Turner,  Cuthbert,  Hansel." 

In  analyzing  this  list  we  find  three  distinctly 
foreign  kinds  named :  the  Orange,  Franconia,  and 
Herstine.  If  the  last  is  not  wholly  of  foreign  ori- 
gin, the  element  of  our  native  species  enters  into  it 
so  slightly  that  it  will  not  endure  winters  in  our 
latitude,  or  the  summer  sun  of  the  South.  For 
excellence,  however,  it  is  unsurpassed. 

In  the  Cuthbert,  Marlboro,  and  Lost  Rubies  we 
have  hybrids  of  the  foreign  and  our  native  species, 
forming  the  second  class  referred  to ;  in  the  Tur- 
ner and  Hansel,  examples  of  our  native  species 


122  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

unmixed.  To  each  of  these  classes  might  be  added 
a  score  of  other  varieties  which  have  been  more 
or  less  popular,  but  they  would  serve  only  to  dis- 
tract the  reader's  attention.  I  have  tested  forty 
or  fifty  kinds  side  by  side  at  one  time,  only  to  be 
shown  that  four  or  five  varieties  would  answer  all 
practical  purposes.  I  can  assure  the  reader,  how- 
ever, that  it  will  be  scarcely  possible  to  find  a  soil 
or  climate  where  some  of  these  approved  sorts  will 
not  thrive  abundantly  and  at  slight  outlay. 

Throughout  southern  New  England,  along  the 
bank  of  the  Hudson,  and  westward,  almost  any 
raspberry  can  be  grown  with  proper  treatment. 
There  are  exceptions,  which  are  somewhat  curious. 
For  instance,  the  famous  Hudson  River  Antwerp, 
which  until  within  a  very  few  years  has  been  one 
of  the  great  crops  of  the  State,  has  never  been 
grown  successfully  to  any  extent  except  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  river,  and  within  the  limited  area 
of  Kingston  on  the  north  and  Cornwall  on  the 
south.  The  Franconia,  another  foreign  sort,  has 
proved  itself  adapted  to  more  extended  conditions 
of  soil  and  climate. 

I  have  grown  successfully  nearly  every  well- 
known  raspberry,  and  perhaps  I  can  best  give  the 
instruction  I  desire  to  convey  by  describing  the 
methods  finally  adopted  after  many  years  of  ob- 
servation, reading,  and  experience.  I  will  speak 


THE   RASPBERRY.  123 

of  the  class  first  named,  belonging  to  the  foreign 
species,  of  which  I  have  tested  many  varieties. 
I  expect  to  set  out  this  year  rows  of  Brinckle's 
Orange,  Franconia,  Hudson  River  Antwerp,  and 
others.  For  this  class  I  should  make  the  ground 
very  rich,  deep,  and  mellow.  I  should  prefer  to  set 
out  the  plants  in  the  autumn,  —  from  the  middle 
of  October  to  the  tenth  of  November;  if  not  then, 
in  early  spring — the  earlier  the  better — while  the 
buds  are  dormant.  I  should  have  the  rows  four 
feet  apart;  and  if  the  plants  were  to  be  grown 
among  the  smaller  fruit-trees,  I  should  maintain  a 
distance  from  them  of  at  least  seven  feet.  I  should 
use  only  young  plants,  those  of  the  previous  sum- 
mer's growth,  and  set  them  in  the  ground  about  as 
deeply  as  they  stood  when  taken  up,  —  say  three 
or  four  inches  of  earth  above  the  point  from  which 
the  roots  branched.  I  should  put  two  well-rooted 
plants  in  each  hill,  and  this  would  make  the  hills 
four  feet  apart  each  way.  By  "  hills  "  I  do  not 
mean  elevations  of  ground.  This  should  be  kept 
level  throughout  all  future  cultivation.  I  should 
cut  back  the  canes  or  stems  of  the  plants  to  six 
inches.  Thousands  of  plants  are  lost  or  put  back 
in  their  growth  by  leaving  two  or  three  feet  of  the 
canes  to  grow  the  first  year.  Never  do  this.  The 
little  fruit  gained,  thus  prematurely  always  entails 
a  hundred-fold  of  loss.  Having  set  out  the  plants, 


124  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

I  should  next  scatter  over  and  about  them  one  or 
two  shovelfuls  of  old  compost  or  decayed  manure 
of  some  kind.  If  the  plants  had  been  set  out  in 
the  fall,  I  should  mound  the  earth  over  them  be- 
fore freezing  weather,  so  that  there  should  be  at 
least  four  inches  of  soil  over  the  tops  of  the  stems. 
This  little  mound  of  earth  over  the  plants  or  hill 
would  protect  against  all  injury  from  frost.  In  the 
spring  I  should  remove  these  mounds  of  earth  so 
as  to  leave  the  ground  perfectly  level  on  all  sides, 
and  the  shortened  canes  projecting,  as  at  first,  six 
inches  above  the  surface.  During  the  remainder 
of  the  spring  and  summer  the  soil  between  the 
plants  chiefly  requires  to  be  kept  open,  mellow, 
and  free  from  weeds.  In  using  the  hoe,  be  care- 
ful not  to  cut  off  the  young  raspberry  sprouts,  on 
which  the  future  crop  depends.  Do  not  be  disap- 
pointed if  the  growth  seems  feeble  the  first  year, 
for  these  foreign  kinds  are  often  slow  in  starting. 
In  November,  before  there  is  any  danger  of  the 
ground  freezing,  I  should  cut  back  the  young  canes 
at  least  one  third  of  their  length,  bend  them  gently 
down,  and  cover  them  with  earth  to  the  depth  of 
four  or  five  inches.  It  must  be  distinctly  remem- 
bered that  very  few  of  the  foreign  kinds  would  en- 
dure our  winter  unprotected.  Every  autumn  they 
must  be  covered  as  I  have  directed.  Is  any  one 
aghast  at  this  labor?  Nonsense!  Antwerps  are 


THE  RASPBERRY.  125 

covered  by  the  acre  along  the  Hudson.  A  man 
and  a  boy  would  cover  in  an  hour  all  that  are 
needed  for  a  garden. 

After  the  first  year  the  foreign  varieties,  like 
all  others,  will  send  up  too  many  sprouts,  or 
suckers.  Unless  new  plants  are  wanted,  these 
should  be  treated  as  weeds,  and  only  from  three 
to  five  young  canes  be  left  to  grow  in  each  hill. 
This  is  a  very  important  point,  for  too  often  the 
raspberry-patch  is  neglected  until  it  is  a  mass  of 
tangled  bushes.  Keep  this  simple  principle  in  .' 
mind :  there  is  a  given  amount  of  root-power ;  if 
this  cannot  be  expended  in  making  young  sprouts 
all  over  the  ground,  it  goes  to  produce  a  few 
strong  fruit-bearing  canes  in  the  hill.  In  other 
words,  you  restrict  the  whole  force  of  the  plant  to 
the  precise  work  required,  —  the  giving  of  berries. 
As  the  original  plants  grow  older,  they  will  show 
a  constantly  decreasing  tendency  to  throw  up  new 
shoots ;  but  as  long  as  they  continue  to  grow,  let 
only  those  survive  which  are  designed  to  bear  the 
following  season. 

The  canes  of  cultivated  raspberries  are  biennial. 
A  young  and  in  most  varieties  a  fruitless  cane  is 
produced  in  one  season;  it  bears  in  July  the  k 
second  year,  and  then  its  usefulness  is  over.  It 
will  continue  to  live  in  a  half-dying  way  until  fall, 
but  it  is  a  useless  and  unsightly  life.  I  know  that 


126  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

it  is  contended  by  some  that  the  foliage  on  the  old 
canes  aids  in  nourishing  the  plants;  but  I  think 
that,  under  all  ordinary  circumstances,  the  leaves 
on  the  young  growth  are  abundantly  sufficient. 
By  removing  the  old  canes  after  they  have  borne 
their  fruit,  an  aspect  of  neatness  is  imparted,  which 
would  be  conspicuously  absent  were  they  left. 
Every  autumn,  before  laying  the  canes  down,  I 
should  shorten  them  in  one  third.  The  remaining 
two  thirds  will  give  more  fruit  by  actual  measure- 
ment, and  the  berries  will  be  finer  and  larger,  than 
if  the  canes  were  left  intact.  From  first  to  last  the 
soil  about  the  foreign  varieties  should  be  main- 
tained in  a  high  degree  of  fertility  and  mellowness. 
Of  manures  from  the  barn-yard,  that -from  the  cow- 
stable  is  the  best;  wood-ashes,  bone-dust,  and  de- 
cayed leaves  also  are  excellent  fertilizers.  During 
all  this  period  the  partial  shade  of  small  trees  will 
be  beneficial  rather  than  otherwise,  for  it  should  be 
remembered  that  sheltered  localities  are  the  natu- 
ral habitat  of  the  raspberry. 

By  a  little  inquiry  the  reader  can  learn  whether 
varieties  of  the  foreign  class  are  grown  success- 
fully in  his  vicinity.  If  they  are,  he  can  raise  them 
also  by  following  the  directions  which  have  been 
given.  Brinckle's  Orange  —  a  buff-colored  berry 
—  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  beautiful,  delicate, 
and  delicious  fruits  in  existence,  and  is  we'll  worth 


THE   RASPBERRY.  I2/ 

all  the  care  it  requires  in  the  regions  where  it  will 
grow;  while  the  Franconia  and  others  should 
never  be  permitted  to  die  out  by  fruit  connoi- 
seurs.  If  the  soil  of  your  garden  is  light  and 
sandy,  or  if  you  live  much  south  of  New  York,  I 
should  not  advise  their  trial.  They  may  be  grown 
far  to  the  north,  however.  I  am  told  that  tender 
varieties  of  fruits  that  can  be  covered  thrive  even 
better  in  Canada  than  with  us.  There  deep  snow 
protects  the  land,  and  in  spring  and  autumn  they 
do  not  have  long  periods  when  the  bare  earth  is 
alternately  freezing  and  thawing. 

In  the  second  class  of  raspberries,  the  crosses 
between  the  foreign  and  native  species,  we  now 
have  such  fii\e  varieties  that  no  one  has  much 
cause  for  regret  if  he  can  raise  them;  and  I 
scarcely  see  how  he  can  help  raising  them  if  he 
has  sufficient  energy  to  set  out  a  few  plants  and 
keep  them  free  from  weeds  and  superabundant 
suckers.  Take  the  Cuthbert,  for  instance;  you 
may  set  it  out  almost  anywhere,  and  in  almost 
any  latitude  except  that  of  the  extreme  Southern 
States.  But  you  must  reverse  the  conditions  re- 
quired for  the  foreign  kinds.  If  the  ground  is 
very  rich,  the  canes  will  threaten  to  grow  out  of 
sight.  I  advise  that  this  strong-growing  sort  be 
planted  in  rows  five  feet  apart.  Any  ordinary  soil 
is  good  enough  for  the  Cuthbert  to  start  in,  and 


128  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

the  plants  will  need  only  a  moderate  degree  of 
fertilizing  as  they  begin  to  lose  a  little  of  their 
first  vigor.  Of  course,  if  the  ground  is  unusually 
light  and  poor,  it  should  be  enriched  and  main- 
tained in  a  fair  degree  of  fertility.  The  point  I 
wish  to  make  is  that  this  variety  will  thrive  where 
most  others  would  starve ;  but  there  is  plenty  of 
land  on  which  anything  will  starve.  The  Cuth- 
bert  is  a  large,  late  berry,  which  continues  long 
in  bearing,  and  is  deserving  of  a  place  in  every 
garden.  I  have  grown  it  for  many  years,  and 
have  never  given  it  any  protection  whatever. 
Occasionally  there  comes  a  winter  which  kills  the 
canes  to  the  ground.  I  should  perhaps  explain  to 
the  reader  here  that  even  in  the  case  of  the  tender 
foreign  kinds  it  is  only  the  canes  that  are  killed 
by  the  frost ;  the  roots  below  the  surface  are  unin- 
jured, and  throw  up  vigorous  sprouts  the  follow- 
ing spring.  The  Cuthbert  is  so  nearly  hardy  that 
we  let  it  take  its  chances,  and  probably  in  eight 
winters  out  of  ten  it  would  stand  unharmed.  Its 
hardiness  is  greatly  enhanced  when  grown  on  well- 
drained  soils. 

It  now  has  a  companion  berry  in  the  Marlboro, 
—  a  variety  but  recently  introduced,  and  therefore 
not  thoroughly  tested  as  yet.  Its  promise,  how- 
ever, is  very  fine,  and  it  has  secured  the  strong 
yet  qualified  approval  of  the  best  fruit  critics.  It 


CAUFOV^ 

THE   RASPBERRY^^S=  I2Q 

requires  richer  soil  and  better  treatment  than  the 
Cuthbert,  and  it  remains  to  be  seen  whether  it  is 
equally  hardy.  It  is  well  worth  winter  protection 
if  it  is  not.  It  is  not  a  suitable  berry  for  the 
home  garden  if  no  other  is  grown,  for  the  reason 
that  it  matures  its  entire  crop  within  a  brief  time, 
and  thus  would  give  a  family  but  a  short  season 
of  raspberries.  Cultivated  in  connection  with 
the  Cuthbert,  it  would  be  admirable,  for  it  is  very 
early,  and  would  produce  its  fruit  before  the  Cuth- 
berts  were  ripe.  Unitedly  the  two  varieties  would 
give  a  family  six  weeks  of  raspberries.  There  are 
scores  of  other  kinds  in  this  class,  and  some  are 
very  good  indeed,  well  worth  a  place  in  an  ama- 
teur's collection ;  but  the  two  already  named  are 
sufficient  to  supply  a  family  with  excellent  fruit. 

Of  the  third  class  of  red  raspberries,  repre- 
senting our  pure  native  species,  I  should  recom- 
mend only  one  variety,  —  the  Turner;  and  that  is 
so  good  that  it  deserves  a  place  in  every  collection. 
It  certainly  is  a  remarkable  raspberry,  and  has  an 
unusual  history,  which  I  have  given  in  my  work 
"  Success  with  Small  Fruits."  I  doubt  whether 
there  is  a  hardier  raspberry  in  America,  —  one  that 
can  be  grown  so  far  to  the  north,  and,  what  is  still 
more  in  its  favor,  so  far  to  the  south.  In  the  latter 
region  it  is  known  as  the  Southern  Thornless.  The 
fact  that  it  is  almost  wholly  without  spines  is  a 

9 


130  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

good  quality;  but  it  is  only  one  among  many 
others.  The  Turner  requires  no  winter  protection 
whatever,  will  grow  on  almost  any  soil  in  existence, 
and  in  almost  any  climate.  It  yields  abundantly 
medium-sized  berries  of  good  flavor.  The  fruit 
begins  to  ripen  early,  and  lasts  throughout  a  some- 
what extended  season.  It  will  probably  give  more 
berries,  with  more  certainty  and  less  trouble,  than 
any  other  variety.  Even  its  fault  leans  to  virtue's 
side.  Set  out  a  single  plant,  leave  it  to  Nature, 
and  in  time  it  will  cover  the  place  with  Turner 
raspberries ;  and  yet  it  will  do  this  in  a  quiet,  unob- 
trusive way,  for  it  is  not  a  rampant,  ugly  grower. 
While  it  will  persist  in  living  under  almost  any 
circumstances,  I  have  found  no  variety  that  re- 
sponded more  gratefully  to  good  treatment.  This 
consists  simply  in  three  things:  (i)  rigorous  re- 
striction of  the  suckers  to  four  or  five  canes  in  the 
hill ;  (2)  keeping  the  soil  clean  and  mellow  about 
the  bearing  plants;  (3)  making  this  soil  rich.  Its 
dwarf  habit  of  growth,  unlike  that  of  the  Cuthbert, 
enables  one  to  stimulate  it  with  any  kind  of  ma- 
nure. By  this  course  the  size  of  the  bushes  is 
greatly  increased,  and  enormous  crops  can  be 
obtained. 

I  prefer  to  set  out  all  raspberries  in  the  fall, 
although  as  a  matter  of  convenience  I  often  per- 
form the  task  in  the  early  spring.  I  do  not  believe 


THE  RASPBERRY.  13! 

in  late  spring  planting,  except  as  one  takes  up  a 
young  sprout,  two  or  three  inches  high,  and  sets  it 
out  as  one  would  a  tomato -plant.  By  this  course 
time  is  often  saved.  When  it  is  our  wish  to 
increase  the  quality  and  quantity  of  the  fruit,  I 
should  advise  that  the  canes  of  all  varieties  be  cut 
back  one  third  of  their  length.  A  little  observa- 
tion will  teach  us  the  reason  for  this.  Permit  a 
long  cane  to  bear  throughout  its  natural  length, 
and  you  will  note  that  many  buds  near  the  ground 
remain  dormant  or  make  a  feeble  growth.  The 
sap,  following  a  general  law  of  nature,  pushes  to 
the  extremities,  and  is,  moreover,  too  much  dif- 
fused. Cut  away  one  third,  and  all  the  buds  start 
with  redoubled  vigor,  while  more  and  larger  fruit 
is  the  result.  If,  however,  earliness  in  ripening  is 
the  chief  consideration,  as  it  often  is,  especially 
with  the  market-gardener,  leave  the  canes  un- 
pruned,  and  the  fruit  ripens  a  few  days  sooner. 

In  purveying  for  the  home  table,  white  rasp- 
berries offer  the  attractions  of  variety  and  beauty. 
In  the  case  of  Brinckle's  Orange,  its  exquisite 
flavor  is  the  chief  consideration ;  but  this  fastidi- 
ous foreign  berrry  is  practically  beyond  the  reach 
of  the  majority.  There  is,  however,  an  excellent 
variety,  the  Caroline,  which  is  almost  as  hardy  as 
the  Turner,  and  more  easily  grown.  It  would 
seem  that  Nature  designed  every  one  to  have  it  (if 


132  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

we  may  say  it  of  Caroline),  for  not  only  does  it 
sucker  freely  like  the  red  raspberries,  but  the  tips 
of  the  canes  also  bend  over,  take  root,  and  form 
new  plants.  The  one  thing  that  Caroline  needs  is 
repression,  the  curb ;  she  is  too  intense. 

I  am  inclined  to  think,  however,  that  she  has 
had  her  day,  even  as  an  attendant  on  royalty,  for  a 
new  variety,  claiming  the  high-sounding  title  of 
Golden  Queen,  has  mysteriously  appeared.  I  say 
mysteriously,  for  it  is  difficult  to  account  for  her 
origin.  Mr.  Ezra  Stokes,  a  fruit-grower  of  New 
Jersey,  had  a  field  of  twelve  acres  planted  with 
Cuthbert  raspberries.  In  this  field  he  found  a 
bush  producing  white  berries.  In  brief,  he  found 
an  Albino  of  the  Cuthbert.  Of  the  causes  of  her 
existence  he  knows  nothing.  All  we  can  say,  I 
suppose,  is  that  the  variation  was  produced  by 
some  unknown  impulse  of  Nature.  Deriving  her 
claims  from  such  a  source,  she  certainly  has  a 
better  title  to  royalty  than  most  of  her  sister 
queens,  who,  according  to  history,  have  been  com- 
monplace women,  suggesting  anything  but  na- 
ture. With  the  exception  of  the  Philadelphians, 
perhaps,  we  as  a  people  will  not  stand  on  the 
question  of  ancestry,  and  shall  be  more  inclined 
to  see  how  she  "  queens  it." 

Of  course  the  enthusiastic  discoverer  and  dis- 
seminators of  this  variety  claim  that  it  is  not  only 


THE  RASPBERRY.  133 

like  the  Cuthbert,  but  far  better.  Let  us  try  it  and 
see ;  if  it  is  as  good,  we  may  well  be  content,  and 
can  grace  our  tables  with  beautiful  fruit. 

There  is  another  American  species  of  raspberry 
(Rubies  occidcntalis}  that  is  almost  as  dear  to  mem- 
ory as  the  wild  strawberry,  —  the  thimble-berry,  or 
blackcap.  I  confess  that  the  wild  flavor  of  this 
fruit  is  more  to  my  taste  than  that  of  any  other 
raspberry.  Apparently  its  seeds  have  been  sown 
broadcast  over  the  continent,  for  it  is  found  almost 
everywhere,  and  there  have  been  few  children  in 
America  whose  lips  have  not  been  stained  by  the 
dark  purple  juice  of  its  fruit.  Seeds  dropped  in 
neglected  pastures,  by  fence  and  road-sides,  and 
along  the  edges  of  the  forest,  produce  new  varie- 
ties which  do  not  propagate  themselves  by  suckers 
like  red  raspberries,  but  in  a  manner  quite  distinct. 
The  young  purple  canes  bend  over  and  take  root 
in  the  soil  during  August,  September,  and  Octo- 
ber. At  the  extreme  end  of  the  tip  from  which 
'the  roots  descend  a  bud  is  formed,  which  remains 
dormant  until  the  following  spring.  Therefore  the 
young  plant  we  set  out  is  a  more  or  less  thick  mass 
of  roots,  a  green  bud,  and  usually  a  bit  of  the  old 
parent  cane,  which  is  of  no  further  service  except 
as  a  handle  and  a  mark  indicating  the  location  ot 
the  plant.  After  the  ground  has  been  prepared 
as  one  would  for  corn  or  potatoes,  it  should  be 


134  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

levelled,  a  line  stretched  for  the  row,  and  the  plants 
set  four  feet  apart  in  the  row.  Sink  the  roots  as 
straight  down  as  possible,  and  let  the  bud  point 
upward,  covering  it  lightly  with  merely  one  or  two 
inches  of  soil.  Press  the  ground  firmly  against 
the  roots,  but  not  on  the  bud.  The  soil  just  over 
this  should  be  fine  and  mellow,  so  that  the  young 
shoot  can  push  through  easily,  which  it  will  soon 
do  if  the  plants  were  in  good  condition.  Except 
in  the  extreme  South,  spring  is  by  far  the  best 
time  for  planting,  and  it  should  be  done  early, 
while  the  buds  are  dormant.  After  these  begin  to 
grow,  keep  the  ground  mellow  and  free  from 
weeds.  The  first  effort  of  the  young  plant  will  be 
to  propagate  itself.  It  will  sprawl  over  the  ground 
if  left  to  its  wild  impulses,  and  will  not  make  an 
upright  bearing  bush.  On  this  account  put  a 
stake  down  by  the  young  sprout,  and  as  it  grows 
keep  it  tied  up  and  away  from  the  ground.  When 
the  side-branches  are  eight  or  ten  inches  long, 
pinch  them  back,  thus  throwing  the  chief  strength 
into  the  central  cane.  By  keeping  all  the  branches 
pinched  back  you  form  the  plant  into  an  erect, 
sturdy  bush  that  will  load  itself  with  berries  the 
following  year.  No  fruit  will  be  borne  the  first 
season.  The  young  canes  of  the  second  year  will 
incline  to  be  more  sturdy  and  erect  in  their  growth ; 
but  this  tendency  can  be  greatly  enhanced  by  clip- 


THE  RASPBERRY.  135 

ping  the  long  slender  branches  which  are  thrown 
out  on  every  side.  As  soon  as  the  old  canes  are 
through  bearing,  they  should  be  cut  out  and 
burned  or  composted  with  other  refuse  from  the 
garden.  Blackcaps  may  be  planted  on  any  soil 
that  is  not  too  dry.  When  the  plant  suffers  from 
drought,  the  fruit  consists  of  little  else  than  seeds. 
To  escape  this  defect  I  prefer  to  put  the  blackcaps 
in  a  moist  location ;  and  it  is  one  of  the  few  fruits 
that  will  thrive  in  a  cold,  wet  soil.  One  can  set 
out  plants  here  and  there  in  out-of-the-way  cor- 
ners, and  they  often  do  better  than  those  in  the 
garden.  Indeed,  unless  a  place  is  kept  up  very 
neatly,  many  such  bushes  will  be  found  growing 
wild,  and  producing  excellent  fruit. 

The  question  may  arise  in  some  minds,  Why 
buy  plants?  Why  not  get  them  from  the  woods 
and  fields,  or  let  Nature  provide  bushes  for  us 
where  she  will?  When  Nature  produces  a  bush 
on  my  place  where  it  is  not  in  the  way,  I  let  it 
grow,  and  pick  the  fruit  in  my  rambles ;  but  the 
supply  would  be  precarious  indeed  for  a  family. 
By  all  means  get  plants  from  the  woods  if  you 
have  marked  a  bush  that  produces  unusually  fine 
fruit.  It  is  by  just  this  course  that  the  finest  va- 
rieties have  been  obtained.  If  you  go  a-berrying, 
you  may  light  on  something  finer  than  has  yet 
been  discovered;  but  it  is  not  very  probable. 


136  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

Meanwhile,  for  a  dollar  you  can  get  all  the  plants 
you  want  of  the  two  or  three  best  varieties  that 
have  yet  been  discovered,  from  Maine  to  Cali- 
fornia. After  testing  a  great  many  kinds,  I  should 
recommend  the  Souhegan  for  early,  and  the  Mam- 
moth Cluster  and  Gregg  for  late.  A  clean,  mellow 
soil  in  good  condition,  frequent  pinchings  back  of 
the  canes  in  summer,  or  a  rigorous  use  of  the 
pruning-shears  in  spring,  are  all  that  is  required 
to  secure  an  abundant  crop  from  year  to  year. 
This  species  may  also  be  grown  among  trees.  I  ad- 
vise that  every  kind  and  description  of  raspberries 
be  kept  tied  to  stakes  or  a  wire  trellis.  The  wood 
ripens  better,  the  fruit  is  cleaner  and  richer  from 
exposure  to  air  and  sunshine,  and  the  garden  is 
far  neater  than  if  the  canes  are  sprawling  at  will. 
I  know  that  all  horticulturists  advise  that  the  plants 
be  pinched  back  so  thoroughly  as  to  form  self- 
supporting  bushes;  but  I  have  yet  to  see  the 
careful  fruit-grower  who  did  this,  or  the  bushes 
that  some  thunder-gusts  would  not  prostrate  into 
the  mud  with  all  their  precious  burden,  were  they 
not  well  supported.  Why  take  the  risk  to  save  a 
twopenny  stake? 

If,  just  before  the  fruit  begins  to  ripen,  a  mulch 
of  leaves,  cut  grass,  or  any  litter  that  will  cover  the 
ground  slightly,  is  placed  under  and  around  the 
bushes,  it  may  save  a  great  deal  of  fruit  from  being 


THE  RASPBERRY.  137 

spoiled.  The  raspberry  season  is  also  the  hour 
and  opportunity  for  thunder-showers,  whose  great 
slanting  drops  often  splash  the  soil  to  surprising  dis- 
tances. Sugar-and-cream-coated,  not  mud-coated, 
berries,  if  you  please. 

In  my  remarks  on  raspberries  I  have  not  named 
many  varieties,  and  have  rather  laid  stress  on  the 
principles  which  may  guide  the  reader  in  his 
present  and  future  selections  of  kinds.  Sufficient 
in  number  and  variety  to  meet  the  needs  of  every 
family  have  been  mentioned.  The  amateur  may 
gratify  his  taste  by  testing  other  sorts  described  in 
nurserymen's  catalogues.  Moreover,  every  year  or 
two  some  new  variety  will  be  heralded  throughout 
the  land.  The  reader  has  merely  to  keep  in  mind 
the  three  classes  of  raspberries  described  and  their 
characteristics,  in  order  to  make  an  intelligent 
choice  from  old  and  new  candidates  for  favor. 

It  should  also  be  remembered  that  the  rasp- 
berry is  a  Northern  fruit.  I  am  often  asked  in 
effect,  What  raspberries  do  you  recommend  for 
the  Gulf  States?  I  suppose  my  best  reply  would 
be,  What  oranges  do  you  think  best  adapted  to 
New  York  ?  Most  of  the  foreign  kinds  falter  and 
fail  in  New  Jersey  and  Southern  Pennsylvania; 
the  Cuthbert  and  its  class  can  be  grown  much 
farther  south,  while  the  Turner  and  the  blackcaps 
thrive  almost  to  Florida. 


138  THE  HOMB  ACRE. 

Raspberries,  especially  those  of  our  native 
species,  are  comparatively  free  from  disease.  For- 
eign varieties  and  their  hybrids  are  sometimes 
afflicted  with  the  curl-leaf.  The  foliage  crimps  up, 
the  canes  are  dwarfed,  and  the  whole  plant  has  a 
sickly  and  often  yellow  appearance.  The  only 
remedy  is  to  dig  up  the  plant,  root  and  branch, 
and  burn  it. 

A  disease  termed  the  "rust"  not  infrequently 
attacks  old  and  poorly  nourished  blackcap  bushes. 
The  leaves  take  on  an  ochreous  color,  and  the 
plant  is  seen  to  be  failing.  Extirpate  it  as  directed 
above.  If  many  bushes  are  affected,  I  advise  that 
the  whole  patch  be  rooted  up,  and  healthy  plants 
set  out  elsewhere. 

It  is  a  well-known  law  of  Nature  that  plants  of 
nearly  all  kinds  appear  to  exhaust  from  the  soil 
in  time  the  ingredients  peculiarly  acceptable  to 
them.  Skill  can  do  much  towards  maintaining 
the  needful  supply;  but  the  best  and  easiest  plan 
is  not  to  grow  any  of  the  small  fruits  too  long  in 
any  one  locality.  By  setting  out  new  plants  on 
different  ground,  far  better  results  are  attained 
with  much  less  trouble. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

THE  CURRANT. 

WHO  that  has  ever  lived  in  the  country  does 
not  remember  the  old  straggling  currant- 
bushes  that  disputed  their  existence  with  grass, 
docks,  and  other  coarse-growing  weeds  along  some 
ancient  fence?  Many  also  can  recall  the  weary 
task  of  gathering  a  quart  or  two  of  the  diminutive 
fruit  for  pies,  and  the  endless  picking  required  to 
obtain  enough  for  the  annual  jelly-making.  Nor 
is  this  condition  of  affairs  a  thing  of  the  past. 
Drive  through  the  land  where  you  will  in  early 
July,  and  you  will  see  farmers  mowing  round  the 
venerable  Red  Dutch  currants  "to  give  the  women- 
folks a  chance  at  *em."  The  average  farmer  still 
bestows  upon  this  fruit  about  as  much  attention  as 
the  aborigines  gave  to  their  patches  of  maize. 
This  seems  very  absurd  when  we  remember  the 
important  place  held  in  the  domestic  economy  by 
the  currant,  and  how  greatly  it  improves  under 
decent  treatment.  If  it  demanded  the  attention 
which  a  cabbage-plant  requires,  it  would  be  given ; 
but  the  currant  belongs  to  that  small  class  of 


140  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

creatures  which  permit  themselves  to  be  used  when 
wanted,  and  snubbed,  neglected,  and  imposed 
upon  at  other  times.  It  is  known  that  the  bushes 
will  manage  to  exist,  and  do  the  very  best  they 
can,  no  matter  how  badly  treated;  and  average 
human  nature  has  ever  taken  advantage  of  such 
traits,  to  its  continuous  loss. 

The  patience  of  the  currant  is  due  perhaps  to  its 
origin,  for  it  grows  wild  round  the  northern  hemi- 
sphere, its  chief  haunts  being  the  dim,  cold,  damp 
woods  of  the  high  latitudes.  You  may  tame, 
modify,  and  vastly  change  anything  possessing 
life ;  but  original  traits  are  scarcely  ever  wholly 
eradicated.  Therefore  the  natural  habitat  and 
primal  qualities  of  the  currant  indicate  the  true 
lines  of  development,  its  capabilities  and  limita- 
tions. It  is  essentially  a  northern  fruit,  requiring 
coolness,  moisture,  and  alluvial  soils.  It  begins 
to  falter  and  look  homesick  even  in  New  Jersey ; 
and  one  has  not  to  go  far  down  the  Atlantic 
coast  to  pass  beyond  the  range  of  its  successful 
culture.  I  do  not  see  why  it  should  not  thrive 
much  farther  south  on  the  northern  slopes  of  the 
mountains.  From  Philadelphia  northward,  how- 
ever, except  on  light  dry  soils  and  in  sunny  ex- 
posures, there  is  no  reason  why  it  should  not  give 
ample  returns  for  the  attention  it  requires. 

I  shall  not  lay  stress  on  the  old,  well-known  uses 


THE   CURRANT.  141 

to  which  this  fruit  is  put,  but  I  do  think  its  value 
is  but  half  appreciated.  People  rush  round  in  July 
in  search  of  health :  let  me  recommend  the  currant 
cure.  If  any  one  is  languid,  depressed  in  spirits, 
inclined  to  headaches,  and  generally  "out  of  sorts," 
let  him  finish  his  breakfast  daily  for  a  month  with 
a  dish  of  freshly  picked  currants.  He  will  soon 
almost  doubt  his  own  identity,  and  may  even  begin 
to  think  that  he  is  becoming  a  good  man.  He 
will  be  more  gallant  to  his  wife,  kinder  to  his  chil- 
dren, friendlier  to  his  neighbors,  and  more  open- 
handed  to  every  good  cause.  Work  will  soon 
seem  play,  and  play  fun.  In  brief,  the  truth  of 
the  ancient  pun  will  be  verified,  that  "  the  power 
to  live  a  good  life  depends  largely  upon  the  liver" 
Out  upon  the  nonsense  of  taking  medicine  and 
nostrums  during  the  currant-season !  Let  it  be 
taught  at  theological  seminaries  that  the  currant  is 
a  "  means  of  grace."  It  is  a  corrective ;  and  that 
is  what  average  humanity  most  needs. 

The  currant,  like  the  raspberry,  is  willing  to 
keep  shady;  but  only  because  it  is  modest.  It  is 
one  of  the  fruits  that  thrive  better  among  trees 
than  in  too  dry  and  sunny  exposures.  Therefore, 
in  economizing  space  on  the  Home  Acre  it  may 
be  grown  among  smaller  trees,  or,  better  still,  on 
the  northern  or  eastern  side  of  a  wall  or  hedge. 
But  shade  is  not  essential,  except  as  jwe  go  south ; 


142  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

then  the  requisites  of  moisture  and  shelter  from 
the  burning  rays  of  the  sun  should  be  complied 
with  as  far  as  possible.  In  giving  this  and  kindred 
fruits  partial  shade,  they  should  not  be  compelled 
to  contend  to  any  extent  with  the  roots  of  trees. 
This  will  ever  prove  an  unequal  contest.  No  fruit 
can  thrive  in  dense  shade,  or  find  sustenance  among 
the  voracious  roots  of  a  tree. 

Select,  therefore,  if  possible,  heavy,  deep,  moist, 
yet  well-drained  soil,  and  do  not  fear  to  make  and 
keep  it  very  rich.  If  you  are  restricted  to  sandy 
or  gravelly  soils,  correct  their  defects  with  com- 
post, decayed  leaves  and  sods,  muck,  manure  from 
the  cow-stable,  and  other  fertilizers  with  staying 
rather  than  stimulating  qualities.  Either  by 
ploughing  or  forking,  deepen  as  well  as  enrich 
the  soil.  It  is  then  ready  for  the  plants,  which 
may  be  set  out  either  in  the  fall  or  in  early  spring. 
I  prefer  the  autumn,  —  any  time  after  the  leaves 
have  fallen;  but  spring  answers  almost  as  well, 
while  buds  are  dormant,  or  partially  so.  It  should 
be  remembered  that  the  currant  starts  very  early, 
and  is  in  full  foliage  before  some  persons  are 
fairly  wakened  to  garden  interests.  It  would,  in 
this  case,  be  better  to  wait  until  October,  unless 
the  plants  can  be  obtained  from  a  neighbor  on  a 
cloudy  day;  then  they  should  be  cut  back  two 
thirds  of  their  length  before  being  removed,  and 


THE  CURRANT.  143 

the  transfer  made  as  quickly  as  possible.  Under 
any  circumstances,  take  off  half  of  the  wood  from 
the  plants  bought.  This  need  not  be  thrown 
away.  Every  cutting  of  young  wood  six  inches 
long  will  make  a  new  plant  in  a  single  season. 
All  that  is  needful  is  to  keep  the  wood  moist  until 
ready  to  put  it  in  the  ground,  or,  better  still,  a 
cool,  damp  place  in  the  garden  can  be  selected  at 
once,  and  the  cuttings  sunk  two  thirds  of  their 
length  into  the  ground,  and  the  soil  pressed  firm 
around  them.  By  fall  they  will  have  a  good  sup- 
ply of  roots,  and  by  the  following  autumn  be  ready 
to  be  set  out  wherever  you  wish  them  to  fruit. 

Currant-bushes  may  be  planted  five  feet  apart 
each  way,  and  at  the  same  distance,  if  they  are  to 
line  a  fence.  They  should  be  sunk  a  few  inches 
deeper  in  the  soil  than  they  stood  before,  and  the 
locality  be  such  as  to  admit  of  good  culture.  The 
soil  should  never  be  permitted  to  become  hard, 
weedy,  or  grass-grown.  As  a  rule,  I  prefer  two- 
year-old  plants,  while  those  of  one  year's  growth 
answer  nearly  as  well,  if  vigorous.  If  in  haste  for 
fruit,  it  may  be  well  to  get  three-year-old  plants, 
unless  they  have  been  dwarfed  and  enfeebled  by 
neglect.  Subsequent  culture  consists  chiefly  in 
keeping  the  soil  clean,  mellow,  rich,  and  therefore 
moist.  I  have  named  the  best  fertilizers  for  the 
currant;  but  if  the  product  of  the  horse-stable  is 


144  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

employed,  use  it  first  as  a  mulch.  It  will  thus 
gradually  reach  the  roots.  Otherwise  it  is  too 
stimulating,  and  produces  a  rampant  growth  of 
wood  rather  than  fruit 

Under  any  circumstances  this  tendency  to  pro- 
duce an  undue  amount  of  wood  must  be  repressed 
almost  as  rigorously  as  in  the  grape-vine.  The 
secret  of  successful  currant-culture  is  richness  be- 
neath, and  restriction  above.  English  gardeners 
are  said  to  have  as  complete  and  minute  systems 
of  pruning  and  training  currants  as  the  grape ;  but 
we  do  not  seem  to  have  patience  for  such  detail. 
Nor  do  I  regard  it  as  necessary.  Our  object  is  an 
abundant  supply  of  excellent  fruit ;  and  this  result 
can  be  obtained  at  a  surprisingly  small  outlay  of 
time  and  money,  if  they  are  expended  judiciously. 

The  art  of  trimming  a  currant-bush,  like  that  of 
pruning  a  grape-vine,  is  best  learned  by  observa- 
tion and  experience.  One  can  give  principles 
rather  than  lay  down  rules.  Like  the  vine,  the 
currant  tends  to  choke  itself  with  a  superabun- 
dance of  wood,  which  soon  becomes  more  or  less 
barren.  This  is  truer  of  some  varieties  than  of 
others;  but  in  all  instances  the  judicious  use  of 
the  pruning-knife  doubles  the  yield.  In  view  of 
the  supposition  that  the  leading  shoot  and  all  the 
branches  were  shortened  in  one  half  when  the 
plant  was  set  out,  I  will  suggest  that  early  in  June 


THE   CURRANT.  145 

it  will  be  observed  that  much  more  wood  is  form- 
ing than  can  be  permitted  to  remain.  There  are 
weak,  crowding  shoots  which  never  can  be  of  any 
use.  If  these  are  cut  out  at  this  time,  the  sap 
which  would  go  to  mature  them  will  be  directed 
into  the  valuable  parts  of  the  forming  bush.  Sum- 
mer pruning  prevents  misspent  force,  and  it  may 
be  kept  up  with  great  advantage  from  year  to  year. 
This  is  rarely  done,  however;  therefore  early  in 
spring  the  bushes  must  receive  a  good  annual 
pruning,  and  the  long  shoots  and  branches  be  cut 
well  back,  so  as  to  prevent  naked  reaches  of  wood. 
Observe  a  very  productive  bush,  and  you  will  see 
that  there  are  many  points  abounding  in  little  side- 
branches.  It  is  upon  these  that  the  fruit  is  chiefly 
borne.  A  bush  left  to  itself  is  soon  a  mass  of  long, 
slender,  almost  naked  stalks,  with  a  little  fruit  at 
the  ends.  The  ideal  bush  is  stocky,  open,  well 
branched,  admitting  light,  air,  and  sun  in  every 
part.  There  is  no  crowding  and  smothering  of  the 
fruit  by  the  foliage.  But  few  clusters  are  borne  on 
very  young  wood,  and  when  this  grows  old  and 
black,  the  clusters  are  small.  Therefore  new  wood 
should  always  be  coming  on  and  kept  well  cut 
back,  so  as  to  form  joints  and  side-branches ;  and 
as  other  parts  grow  old  and  feeble  they  should  be 
cut  out.  Observation  and  experience  will  teach 
the  gardener  more  than  all  the  rules  that  could  be 

10 


146  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

written,  for  he  will  perceive  that  he  must  prune 
each  bush  according  to  its  own  individuality. 

For  practical  purposes  the  bush  form  is  the  best 
in  which  to  grow  currants ;  but  they  can  easily  be 
made  to  form  pretty  little  trees  with  tops  shaped 
like  an  umbrella,  or  any  other  form  we  desire. 
For  instance,  I  found,  one  autumn,  a  shoot  about 
three  feet  long.  I  rubbed  off  all  the  buds  except 
the  terminal  one  and  three  or  four  just  beneath  it, 
then  sunk  the  lower  end  of  the  shoot  six  inches 
into  the  soil,  and  tied  the  part  above  the  ground  to 
a  short  stake.  The  following  spring  the  lower  end 
took  root,  and  the  few  buds  at  the  top  developed 
into  a  small  bushy  head.  Clumps  of  miniature 
currant-trees  would  make  as  pretty  an  ornament 
for  the  'garden  border  as  one  would  wish  to  see. 
It  should  be  remembered  that  there  is  a  currant  as 
well  as  an  apple  borer ;  but  the  pests  are  not  very 
numerous  or  destructive,  and  such  little  trees  may 
easily  be  grown  by  the  hundred. 

Clean  culture  has  one  disadvantage  which  must 
be  guarded  against.  If  the  ground  under  bushes  is 
loose,  heavy  rains  will  sometimes  so  splash  up  the 
soil  as  to  muddy  the  greater  part  of  the  fruit.  I 
once  suffered  serious  loss  in  this  way,  and  deserved 
it;  for  a  little  grass  mown  from  the  lawn,  or  any 
other  litter  spread  under  and  around  the  bushes 
just  before  the  fruit  ripened,  would  have  prevented 


THE  CURRANT.  147 

it.  It  will  require  but  a  very  few  minutes  to  insure 
a  clean  crop. 

I  imagine  that  if  these  pages  are  ever  read,  and 
such  advice  as  I  can  give  is  followed,  it  will  be 
more  often  by  the  mistress  than  the  master  of  the 
Home  Acre,  ^l  address  him,  but  quite  as  often  I 
mean  her;  and  just  at  this  point  I  am  able  to  give 
"  the  power  behind  the  throne "  a  useful  hint. 
Miss  Alcott,  in  her  immortal  "Little  Women,"  has 
given  an  instance  of  what  dire  results  may  follow 
if  the  "  jelly  won't  jell."  Let  me  hasten  to  insure 
domestic  peace  by  telling  my  fair  reader  (who  will 
also  be,  if  the  jelly  turns  out  of  the  tumblers 
tremulous  yet  firm,  a  gentle  reader)  that  if  she  will 
have  the  currants  picked  just  as  soon  as  they  are 
fully  ripe,  and  before  they  have  been  drenched  by 
a  heavy  rain,  she  will  find  that  the  jelly  will  "jell." 
It  is  over-ripe,  water-soaked  currants  that  break  up 
families  and  demolish  household  gods.  Let  me 
also  add  another  fact,  as  true  as  it  is  strange,  that 
white  currants  make  red  jelly;  therefore  give  the 
pearly  fruit  ample  space  in  the  garden. 

In  passing  to  the  consideration  of  varieties  it  is 
quite  natural  in  this  connection  to  mention  the 
white  sorts  first.  I  know  that  people  are  not  yet 
sufficiently  educated  to  demand  white  currants  of 
their  grocers ;  but  the  home  garden  is  as  much  be- 
yond the  grocer's  stall  as  the  home  is  better  than  a 


148  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

boarding-house.  There  is  no  reason  why  free  peo- 
ple in  the  country  should  be  slaves  to  convention- 
alities, prejudices,  and  traditions.  If  white  currants 
are  sweeter,  more  delicious  and  beautiful  than  the 
red,  why,  so  they  are.  Therefore  let  us  plant  them 
abundantly. 

If  there  is  to  be  a  queen  among  the  currants, 
the  White  Grape  is  entitled  to  the  crown.  When 
placed  upon  the  table,  the  dish  appears  heaped 
with  translucent  pearls.  The  sharp  acid  of  the 
red  varieties  is  absent,  and  you  feel  that  if  you 
could  live  upon  them  for  a  time,  your  blood  would 
grow  pure,  if  not  "  blue." 

The  bush  producing  this  exquisite  fruit  is  like 
an  uncouth-looking  poet  who  gives  beauty  from  an 
inner  life,  but  disappoints  in  externals.  It  is  low- 
branching  and  unshapely,  and  must  be  forced  in- 
to good  form  —  the  bush,  not  the  poet  —  by  the 
pruning-knife.  If  this  is  done  judiciously,  no 
other  variety  will  bear  more  profusely  or  present  a 
fairer  object  on  a  July  day. 

The  White  Dutch  has  the  well-known  character- 
istics in  growth  of  the  common  Red  Dutch  currant, 
and  is  inferior  only  to  the  White  Grape  in  size. 
The  fruit  is  equally  transparent,  beautiful,  mild, 
and  agreeable  in  flavor,  while  the  bush  is  enor- 
mously productive,  and  shapely  in  form,  if  properly 
trained  and  fertilized. 


THE  CURRANT.  149 

While  the  white  currants  are  such  favorites,  I  do 
not  undervalue  the  red.  Indeed,  were  I  restricted 
to  one  variety,  it  should  be  the  old  Dutch  Red  of 
our  fathers,  or,  more  properly,  of  our  grandmoth- 
ers. For  general  house  uses  I  do  not  think  it  has 
yet  been  surpassed.  It  is  not  so  mild  in  flavor  as 
the  white  varieties,  but  there  is  a  richness  and 
sprightliness  in  its  acid  that  are  grateful  indeed  on 
a  sultry  day.  Mingled  with  the  white  berries,  it 
makes  a  beautiful  dish,  while  it  has  all  the  culinary 
qualities  which  the  housekeeper  can  desire.  If 
the  bush  is  rigorously  pruned  and  generously 
enriched,  it  is  unsurpassed  in  productiveness,  and 
the  fruit  approaches  very  nearly  to  the  Cherry 
currant  in  size. 

I  do  not  recommend  the  last-named  kind  for 
the  home  garden,  unless  large,  showy  fruit  counts 
for  more  than  flavor.  The  acid  of  the  Cherry  cur- 
rant, unless  very  ripe,  is  harsh  and  watery.  At 
best  it  never  acquires  an  agreeable  mildness,  to 
my  taste.  The  bushes  also  are  not  so  certainly 
productive,  and  usually  require  skilful  pruning  and 
constant  fertilizing  to  be  profitable.  For  the  mar- 
ket, which  demands  size  above  all  things,  the 
Cherry  is  the  kind  to  grow ;  but  in  the  home  gar- 
den flavor  and  productiveness  are  the  more  impor- 
tant qualities.  Fay's  Prolific  is  a  new  sort  that  has 
been  very  highly  praised. 


*50  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

The  Victoria  is  an  excellent  late  variety,  which, 
if  planted  in  a  sheltered  place,  prolongs  the  cur- 
rant-season well  into  the  autumn.  Spurious  kinds 
are  sold  under  this  name.  The  true  Victoria  pro- 
duces a  pale-red  fruit  with  tapering  clusters  or 
racemes  of  berries.  This  variety,  with  the  three 
others  recommended,  gives  the  family  two  red  and 
two  white  kinds,  —  all  that  are  needed.  Those  who 
are  fond  of  black  currants  can,  at  almost  any  nur- 
sery, procure  the  Black  Naples  and  Lee's  Prolific. 
Either  variety  will  answer  all  practical  purposes. 
I  confess  they  are  not  at  all  to  my  taste. 

From  the  currant  we  pass  on  naturally  to  the 
gooseberry,  for  in  origin  and  requirements  it  is 
very  similar.  Both  belong  to  the  Ribes  family  of 
plants,  and  they  are  to  be  cultivated  on  the  same 
general  principles.  What  I  have  written  in  regard 
to  partial  shade,  cool,  sheltered  localities,  rich, 
heavy  soils,  good  culture,  and  especially  rigorous 
pruning,  applies  with  even  greater  force  to  this 
fruit,  especially  if  we  endeavor  to  raise  the  foreign 
varieties.  In  cultivating  this  fruit  it  is  even  more 
important  than  was  true  of  raspberries  that  the 
reader  should  distinguish  between  the  native  and 
foreign  species.  The  latter  are  so  inclined  to  mil- 
dew in  almost  every  locality  that  there  is  rarely  any 
certainty  of  satisfactory  fruit.  The  same  evil  pur- 
sues the  seedling  children  of  the  foreign  sorts,  and 


THE  CURRANT.  151 

I  have  never  seen  a  hybrid  or  cross  between  the 
English  and  native  species  that  was  with  any  cer- 
tainty free  from  a  brown  disfiguring  rust  wholly  or 
partially  enveloping  the  berries.  Here  and  there 
the  fruit  in  some  gardens  will  escape  year  after 
year;  again,  on  places  not  far  away,  the  blighting 
mildew  is  sure  to  appear  before  the  berries  are 
fully  grown.  Nevertheless,  the  foreign  varieties 
are  so  fine  that  it  is  well  to  give  them  a  fair  trial. 
The  three  kinds  which  appear  best  adapted  to  our 
climate  are  Crown  Bob,  Roaring  Lion,  and  White- 
smith. A  new  large  variety,  named  Industry,  is 
now  being  introduced,  and  if  half  of  what  is  claimed 
for  it  is  true,  it  is  worth  a  place  in  all  gardens. 

In  order  to  be  certain  of  clean,  fair  gooseberries 
every  year,  we  must  turn  to  our  native  species, 
which  has  already  given  us  several  good  varieties. 
The  Downing  is  the  largest  and  best,  and  the 
Houghton  the  hardiest,  most  productive  and 
easily  raised.  When  we  remember  the  superb 
fruit  which  English  gardeners  have  developed 
from  wild  kinds  inferior  to  ours,  we  can  well  un- 
derstand that  the  true  American  gooseberries  are 
yet  to  be  developed.  In  my  work  "  Success  with 
Small  Fruits "  those  who  are  interested  in  this 
fruit  will  find  much  fuller  treatment  than  is  war- 
ranted in  the  present  essay. 

Not  only  do  currants  and  gooseberries  require 


152  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

similar  treatment  and  cultivation,  but  they  also 
have  a  common  enemy,  that  must  be  vigilantly 
guarded  against,  or  the  bushes  will  be  defoliated 
in  many  localities  almost  before  its  existence  is 
known.  After  an  absence  of  a  few  days  I  have 
found  some  of  my  bushes  stripped  of  every  leaf. 
When  this  happens,  the  fruit  is  comparatively 
worthless.  Foliage  is  as  necessary  to  a  plant  as 
are  lungs  to  a  man.  It  is  not  essential  that  I  should 
go  into  the  natural  history  of  the  currant  worm 
and  moth.  Having  once  seen  the  yellowish-green 
caterpillars  at  their  destructive  work,  the  reader's 
thoughts  will  not  revert  to  the  science  of  ento- 
mology, but  will  at  once  become  bloody  and  im- 
placable. I  hasten  to  suggest  the  means  of  rescue 
and  vengeance.  The  moment  these  worms  ap- 
pear, be  on  your  guard,  for  they  usually  spread 
like  fire  in  stubble.  Procure  of  your  druggist 
white  hellebore,  scald  and  mix  a  tablespoonful 
in  a  bowl  of  hot  water,  and  then  pour  it  in  a  full 
watering-can.  This  gives  you  an  infusion  of  about 
a  tablespoonful  to  an  ordinary  pail  of  water  at  its 
ordinary  summer  temperature.  Sprinkle  the  in- 
fected bushes  with  this  as  often  as  there  is  a  worm 
to  be  seen.  I  have  never  failed  in  destroying  the 
pests  by  this  course.  It  should  be  remembered, 
however,  that  new  eggs  are  often  hatched  out 
daily.  You  may  kill  every  worm  to-day,  yet  find 


THE   CURRANT.  153 

plenty  on  the  morrow.  Vigilance,  however,  will 
soon  so  check  the  evil  that  your  currants  are  safe ; 
and  if  every  one  would  fight  the  pests,  they  would 
eventually  be  almost  exterminated.  The  trouble 
is  that,  while  you  do  your  duty,  your  next-door 
neighbor  may  grow  nothing  on  his  bushes  but 
currant-worms.  Thus  the  evil  is  continued,  and 
even  increased,  in  spite  of  all  that  you  can  do; 
but  by  a  little  vigilance  and  the  use  of  hellebore 
you  can  always  save  your  currants.  I  have  kept 
my  bushes  green,  luxuriant,  and  loaded  with  fruit 
when,  at  a  short  distance,  the  patches  of  careless 
neighbors  were  rendered  utterly  worthless.  Our 
laws  but  half  protect  the  birds,  the  best  insecti- 
cides, and  there  is  no  law  to  prevent  a  man  from 
allowing  his  acres  to  be  the  breeding-place  of 
every  pest  prevailing. 

There  are  three  species  of  the  currant-borer, 
and  their  presence  is  indicated  by  yellow  foliage 
and  shrivelling  fruit.  The  only  remedy  is  to  cut 
out  and  burn  the  affected  stems.  These  pests  are 
not  often  sufficiently  numerous  to  do  much  harm. 

I  earnestly  urge  that  virulent  poisons  like  Paris 
green,  London  purple,  etc.,  never  be  used  on  fruit 
or  edible  vegetables.  There  cannot  be  safety  in 
this  course.  I  never  heard  of  any  one  that  was 
injured  by  white  hellebore,  used  as  I  have  directed; 
and  I  have  found  that  if  the  worms  were  kept  off 


154  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

until  the  fruit  began  to  ripen,  the  danger  was 
practically  over.  If  I  had  to  use  hellebore  after 
the  fruit  was  fit  to  use,  I  should  first  kill  the 
worms,  and  then  cleanse  the  bushes  thoroughly 
by  spraying  them  with  clean  water. 

In  treating  the  two  remaining  small  fruits,  black- 
berries and  strawberries,  we  pass  wholly  out  of 
the  shade  and  away  from  trees.  Sunshine  and 
open  ground  are  now  required.  Another  impor- 
tant difference  can  also  be  mentioned,  reversing 
former  experience.  America  is  the  home  of  these 
fruits.  The  wild  species  of  the  blackberry  abroad 
has  never,  as  far  as  I  can  learn,  been  developed 
into  varieties  worthy  of  cultivation;  and  before 
importations  from  North  and  South  America 
began,  the  only  strawberry  of  Europe  was  the 
Alpine,  with  its  slight  variations,  and  the  musky 
Hautbois. 

I  do  not  know  whether  any  of  our  fine  varieties 
of  blackberries  are  cultivated  abroad,  but  I  am 
perfectly  certain  that  they  are  worthy  of  the  slight 
attention  required  to  raise  them  in  perfection 
here. 

Like  the  blackcaps,  all  our  best  varieties  are 
the  spontaneous  products  of  Nature,  first  discovered 
growing  wild,  and  transferred  to  the  garden.  The 
blackberry  is  a  fruit  that  takes  kindly  to  cul- 
tivation, and  improves  under  it. 


THE    CURRANT.  155 

The  proper  treatment  is  management  rather 
than  cultivation  and  stimulation.  It  requires  a 
sunny  exposure  and  a  light,  warm  soil,  yet  not  so 
dry  as  to  prevent  the  fruit  from  maturing  into 
juicy  berries.  If  possible,  set  the  blackberries 
off  by  themselves,  for  it  is  hard  to  prevent  the 
strong  roots  from  travelling  all  over  the  garden. 
The  blackberry  likes  a  rich,  moist,  mellow  soil, 
and,  rinding  it,  some  varieties  will  give  you  canes 
sixteen  feet  high.  You  do  not  want  rank,  thorny 
brambles,  however,  but  berries.  Therefore  the 
blackberry  should  be  put  where  it  can  do  no  harm, 
and,  by  a  little  judicious  repression,  a  great  deal 
of  good.  A  gravelly  or  sandy  knoll,  with  a  chance 
to  mow  all  round  the  patch,  is  the  best  place. 
The  blackberry  needs  a  deep,  loose  soil  rather 
than  a  rich  one.  Then  the  roots  will  luxuriate  to 
unknown  depths,  the  wood  ripen  thoroughly,  and 
the  fruit  be  correspondingly  abundant. 

Let  the  rows  be  six  feet  apart ;  set  out  the  plants 
in  the  fall,  if  possible,  or  early  spring;  put  two 
plants  in  the  hills,  which  may  be  four  feet  apart. 
If  the  ground  is  very  poor,  give  the  young  plants 
a  shovelful  of  old  compost,  decayed  leaves,  etc. 
Any  fertilizer  will  answer,  so  that  it  is  spread  just 
over  the  roots  to  give  the  plants  a  good  send-off. 

As  a  rule,  complete  success  in  blackberry  culture 
consists  in  a  little  judicious  work  performed  in 


THE  HOME  ACRE. 

May,  June,  and  July.  The  plants,  having  been 
set  out  as  I  have  advised  in  the  case  of  raspberries, 
throw  up  the  first  season  strong  green  shoots. 
When  these  shoots  are  three  feet  high,  pinch  off 
the  top,  so  as  to  stop  upward  growth.  The  result 
of  this  is  that  branches  start  on  every  side,  and 
the  plant  forms  a  low,  stocky,  self-supporting  bush, 
which  will  be  loaded  with  fruit  the  following 
season. 

The  second  year  the  plants  in  the  hill  will 
send  up  stronger  canes,  and  there  will  be  plenty 
of  sprouts  or  suckers  in  the  intervening  spaces. 
When  very  young,  these  useless  sprouts  can  be 
pulled  out  with  the  least  possible  trouble.  Left  to 
mature,  they  make  a  thorny  wilderness  which  will 
cause  bleeding  hands  and  faces  when  attacked, 
and  add  largely  to  the  family  mending.  That 
which  a  child  could  do  as  play  when  the  suckers 
were  just  coming  through  the  ground,  is  now  a 
formidable  task  for  any  man.  In  early  summer 
you  can  with  the  utmost  ease  keep  every  useless 
blackberry  sprout  from  growing.  More  canes, 
also,  will  usually  start  from  the  hill  than  are 
needed.  Leave  but  three  strong  shoots,  and  this 
year  pinch  them  back  as  soon  as  they  are  four 
feet  high,  thus  producing  three  stocky,  well- 
branched  bushes,  which  in  sheltered  places  will 
be  self-supporting.  Should  there  be  the  slightest 


THE  CURRANT.  157 

danger  of  their  breaking  down  with  their  load  of 
fruit,  tie  them  to  stakes  by  all  means.  I  do  not 
believe  in  that  kind  of  economy  which  tries  to 
save  a  penny  at  the  risk  of  a  dollar. 

I  believe  that  better  and  larger  fruit  is  always 
secured  by  shortening  in  the  side  branches  one 
third  of  their  length  in  spring.  Fine  varieties 
like  the  Kittatinny  are  not  entirely  hardy  in 
all  localities.  The  snow  will  protect  the  lower 
branches,  and  the  upper  ones  can  usually  be  kept 
uninjured  by  throwing  over  them  some  very  light 
litter,  like  old  pea  or  bean  vines,  etc.,  —  nothing 
heavy  enough  to  break  them  down.  As  soon  as 
the  old  canes  are  through  bearing,  they  should  be 
cut  out.  If  the  blackberry  patch  has  been  left 
to  its  own  wild  will,  there  is  nothing  left  for  us 
but  to  attack  it,  well-gloved,  in  April,  with  the 
pruning-shears,  and  cut  out  everything  except 
three  or  four  young  canes  in  the  hill.  These  will 
probably  be  tall,  slender,  and  branchless,  there- 
fore comparatively  unproductive.  In  order  to 
have  any  fruit  at  all,  we  must  shorten  them  one 
third,  and  tie  them  to  stakes.  It  thus  may  be 
clearly  seen  that  with  blackberries  "  a  stich  in 
time  "  saves  almost  ninety-nine.  Keep  out  coarse 
weeds  and  grass,  and  give  fertilizers  only  when 
the  plants  show  signs  of  feebleness  and  lack  of 
nutrition. 


158  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

A  rust  similar  to  that  which  attacks  the  black- 
cap is  almost  the  only  disease  we  have  to  contend 
with.  The  remedy  is  the  same,  —  extirpation  of 
the  plant,  root  and  branch. 

After  testing  a  great  many  kinds,  I  recommend 
the  three  following  varieties,  ripening  in  succession 
for  the  family,  —  the  Early  Harvest,  Snyder,  and 
Kittatinny.  These  all  produce  rich,  high-flavored 
berries,  and,  under  the  treatment  suggested,  will 
prove  hardy  in  nearly  all  localities.  This  fruit  is 
not  ripe  as  soon  as  it  is  black,  and  it  is  rarely  left 
on  the  bushes  until  the  hard  core  in  the  centre 
is  mellowed  by  complete  maturity.  I  have  found 
that  berries  picked  in  the  evening  and  stood  in  a 
cool  place  were  in  excellent  condition  for  break- 
fast. ±  To  have  them  in  perfection,  however,  they 
must  be  so  ripe  as  to  drop  into  the  basket  at  the 
slightest  touch;  then,  as  Donald  Mitchell  says, 
they  are  "  bloated  bubbles  of  forest  honey." 

I  fancy  the  reader  is  as  impatient  to  reach  the 
strawberry  as  I  am  myself.  "  Doubtless  God  could 
have  made  a  better  berry  "  —  but  I  forbear.  This 
saying  has  been  quoted  by  the  greater  part  of  the 
human  race,  and  attributed  to  nearly  every  promi- 
nent man,  from  Adam  to  Mr.  Beecher.  There 
are  said  to  be  unfortunates  whom  the  strawberry 
poisons.  The  majority  of  us  feel  as  if  we  could 
attain  Methuselah's  age  if  we  had  nothing  worse 


THE  CURRANT.  159 

to  contend  with.  Praising  the  strawberry  is  like 
"painting  the  lily;"  therefore  let  us  give  our 
attention  at  once  to  the  essential  details  of  its 
successful  culture. 

As  we  have  intimated  before,  this  fruit  as  we  find 
it  in  our  gardens,  even  though  we  raise  foreign 
kinds,  came  originally  from  America.  The  two 
great  species,  Fragaria  chilensis,  found  on  the  Pacific 
slope  from  Oregon  to  Chili,  and  Fragaria  virgi- 
niana,  growing  wild  in  all  parts  of  North  America 
east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  are  the  sources  of 
all  the  fine  varieties  that  have  been  named  and 
cultivated.  The  Alpine  strawberry  (Fragaria 
vesca),  which  grows  wild  throughout  the  northern 
hemisphere,  does  not  appear  capable  of  much 
variation  and  development  under  cultivation.  Its 
seeds,  sown  under  all  possible  conditions,  repro- 
duce the  parent  plant.  Foreign  gardeners  eventu- 
ally learned,  however,  that  seeds  of  the  Chili 
and  Virginia  strawberry  produced  new  varieties 
which  were  often  much  better  than  their  parents. 
As  time  passed,  and  more  attention  was  drawn 
to  this  subject,  superb  varieties  were  originated 
abroad,  many  of  them  acquiring  a  wide  celebrity. 
In  this  case,  as  has  been  true  of  nearly  all  other 
fruits,  our  nurserymen  and  fruit-growers  first 
looked  to  Europe  for  improved  varieties.  Horti- 
culturists were  slow  to  learn  that  in  our  own  native 


160  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

species  were  the  possibilities  of  the  best  success. 
The  Chili  strawberry,  brought  directly  from  the 
Pacific  coast  to  the  East,  is  not  at  home  in  our 
climate,  and  is  still  more  unfitted  to  contend  with 
it  after  generations  of  culture  in  Europe.  Even 
our  hardier  Virginia  strawberry,  coming  back  to 
us  from  England  after  many  years  of  high  stimu- 
lation in  a  moist,  mild  climate,  is  unequal  to  the 
harsher  conditions  of  life  here.  They  are  like 
native  Americans  who  have  lived  and  been  pam- 
pered abroad  so  long  that  they  find  this  country 
"  quite  too  rude,  you  know  —  beastly  climate." 
Therefore,  in  the  choice  varieties,  and  in  develop- 
ing new  ones,  the  nearer  we  can  keep  to  vigorous 
strains  of  our  own  hardy  Virginia  species  the 
better.  From  it  have  proceeded  and  will  continue 
to  come  the  finest  kinds  that  can  be  grown  east 
of  the  Rockies.  Nevertheless,  what  was  said  of 
foreign  raspberries  is  almost  equally  true  of  Eu- 
ropean strawberries  like  the  Triomphe  de  Gand 
and  Jucunda,  and  hybrids  like  the  Wilder.  In 
localities  where  they  can  be  grown,  their  beauty 
and  fine  flavor  repay  for  the  high  culture  and 
careful  winter  protection  required.  But  they  can 
scarcely  be  made  to  thrive  on  light  soils  or  very 
far  to  the  south. 

So  many  varieties  are  offered  for  sale  that  the 
question  of  choice  is  a  bewildering  one.     I   have 


THE  CURRANT.  l6l 

therefore  sought  to  meet  it,  as  before,  by  giving 
the  advice  of  those  whose  opinions  are  well 
entitled  to  respect. 

Dr.  Hexamer,  who  has  had  great  and  varied 
experience,  writes  as  follows :  "  A  neighbor  of 
mine  who  has  for  years  bought  nearly  every  new 
strawberry  when  first  introduced,  has  settled  on 
the  Duchess  and  Cumberland  as  the  only  varieties 
he  will  grow  in  the  future,  and  thinks  it  not  worth 
while  to  seek  for  something  better.  Confined  to 
two  varieties,  a  more  satisfactory  selection  could 
scarcely  be  made.  But  you  want  six  or  seven, 
either  being,  I  think,  about  the  right  number  for 
the  home  garden.  I  will  give  them  in  the 
order  of  desirability  according  to  my  judgment, 
—  Cumberland,  Charles  Downing,  Duchess,  Mount 
Vernon,  Warren,  Sharpless,  Jewell." 

The  selection  which  places  the  Cumberland 
Triumph  at  the  head  of  the  list  is  but  another 
proof  how  kinds  differ  under  varied  conditions. 
On  my  place  this  highly  praised  sort  is  but  mod- 
erately productive  and  not  high-flavored,  although 
the  fruit  is  very  large  and  handsome.  I  regard 
the  list,  however,  as  a  most  excellent  one  for  most 
localities. 

The  Hon.  Marshall  P.  Wilder's  choice  for  the 
latitude  of  Massachusetts :  "  Charles  Downing, 
Wilder,  Hervey  Davis,  Sharpless,  Cumberland, 

ii 


1 62  TtlE  HOME  ACRE. 

Kentucky.  Jewell  is  very  promising."  A.  S.  Ful 
ler,  for  latitude  of  New  York :  "  Charles  Downing, 
Sharpless,  Miner's  Prolific,  Wilson's  Albany,  Cham- 
pion." P.  C.  Berckmans,  for  the  latitude  of 
Georgia:  "Wilson,  Sharpless,  Charles  Downing, 
Triomphe  de  Gand,  Glendale."  The  Hon.  Norman 
J.  Colman's  choice  for  Missouri  and  the  West: 
"  Crescent,  Captain  Jack,  Cumberland,  Champion, 
Hart's  Minnesota,  Cornelia." 

If  I  gave  a  hundred  other  lists,  no  two  of 
them  probably  would  agree  in  all  respects.  Mr. 
Downing  often  said  to  me,  "  Soil,  climate,  and 
locality  make  greater  differences  with  the  straw- 
berry than  with  any  other  fruit."  This  is  far 
more  true  of  some  varieties  than  others.  I  be- 
lieve that  the  excellent  kind  named  after  Mr. 
Downing,  if  given  proper  treatment,  will  do  well 
almost  anywhere  on  the  continent.  It  will  be 
noted  that  it  is  on  all  the  lists  except  one.  I 
should  place  it  at  the  head  of  garden  strawberries. 
It  is  a  kind  that  will  endure  much  neglect,  and  it 
responds  splendidly  to  generous,  sensible  treat- 
ment. Its  delicious  flavor  is  its  chief  recommen- 
dation, as  it  should  be  that  of  every  berry  for  the 
home  garden. 

I  have  tested  many  hundreds  of  kinds,  and  have 
grown  scores  and  scores  that  were  so  praised 
when  first  sent  out  that  the  novice  might  be 


THE  CURRANT.  163 

tempted  to  dig  up  and  throw  away  everything 
except  the  wonderful  novelty  pressed  upon  his 
attention.  There  is  one  quiet,  effective  way  of 
meeting  all  this  heralding  and  laudation,  and  that 
is  to  make  trial  beds.  For  instance,  I  have  put 
out  as  many  as  seventy  kinds  at  nearly  the  same 
time,  and  grown  them  under  precisely  the  same 
conditions.  Some  of  the  much- vaunted  new- 
comers were  found  to  be  old  varieties  re-named ; 
others,  although  sold  at  high  prices  and  asserted 
to  be  prodigies,  were  seen  to  be  comparatively 
worthless  when  growing  by  the  side  of  good  old 
standard  sorts;  the  majority  never  rose  above 
mediocrity  under  ordinary  treatment ;  but  now  and 
then  one,  like  the  Sharpless,  fulfilled  the  promises 
made  for  it. 

In  my  next  chapter  I  shall  venture  to  recom- 
mend those  varieties  which  my  own  experience 
and  observation  have  shown  to  be  best  adapted 
to  various  soils  and  localities,  and  shall  also  seek 
to  prove  that  proper  cultivation  has  more  to  do 
with  success  than  even  the  selection  of  favored 
kinds. 

Nor  would  I  seek  to  dissuade  the  proprietor 
of  the  Home  Acre  from  testing  the  many  novelties 
offered.  He  will  be  sure  to  get  a  fair  return  in 
strawberries,  and  to  his  interest  in  his  garden  will 
add  the  pleasure  and  anticipation  which  accompany 


1 64  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

uncertain  experiment.  In  brief,  he  has  found  an 
innocent  form  of  gambling,  which  will  injure 
neither  pocket  nor  morals.  In  slow-maturing 
fruits  we  cannot  afford  to  make  mistakes;  in 
strawberries,  one  prize  out  of  a  dozen  blanks 
repays  for  everything. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

STRAWBERRIES. 

HPHERE  is  a  very  general  impression  that  light, 
•*•  dry,  sandy  soils  are  the  best  for  the  straw- 
berry. Just  the  reverse  of  this  is  true.  In  its  desire 
for  moisture  it  is  almost  an  aquatic  plant.  Expe- 
rienced horticulturists  have  learned  to  recognize 
this  truth,  which  the  Hon.  Marshall  P.  Wilder  has 
suggested  in  the  following  piquant  manner :  "  In 
the  first  place,  the  strawberry's  chief  need  is  a  great 
deal  of  water.  In  the  second  place,  it  needs  more 
water.  In  the  third  place,  I  think  I  should  give  it 
a  great  deal  more  water." 

While  emphasizing  this  truth  the  reader  should 
at  the  same  time  be  warned  against  land  whereon 
water  stands  above  the  surface  in  winter  and 
spring,  or  stagnates  beneath  the  surface  at  any 
time.  Moisture  is  essential  to  the  best  results; 
good  drainage  is  equally  so.  The  marvellous  crops 
of  strawberries  raised  in  California  under  well- 
directed  systems  of  irrigation  should  teach  us  use- 
ful lessons.  The  plants,  instead  of  producing  a 
partially  developed  crop  within  a  few  brief  days, 


166  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

continue  in  bearing  through  weeks  and  months. 
It  may  often  be  possible  to  supply  abundantly  on 
the  Home  Acre  this  vital  requirement  of  moisture, 
and  I  shall  refer  to  this  point  farther  on. 

My  first  advice  in  regard  to  strawberries  is  to 
set  them  out  immediately  almost  anywhere  except 
upon  land  so  recently  in  grass  that  the  sod  is  still 
undecayed.  This  course  is  better  than  not  to  have 
the  fruit  at  all,  or  to  wait  for  it.  A  year  without 
strawberries  is  a  lost  year  in  one  serious  respect. 
While  there  is  a  wide  difference  between  what 
plants  can  do  under  unfavorable  conditions  and 
what  they  can  be  made  to  do  when  their  needs  are 
fully  met,  they  will  probably  in  any  event  yield  a 
fair  supply  of  delicious  fruit.  Secure  this  as  soon 
as  possible.  At  the  same  time  remember  that  a 
plant  of  a  good  variety  is  a  genius  capable  of  won- 
derful development.  In  ordinary  circumstances 
it  is  like  the  "  mute,  inglorious  "  poets  whose  en- 
forced limitations  were  lamented  by  the  poet  Gray ; 
but  when  its  innate  powers  and  gifts  are  fully  nour- 
ished it  expands  into  surprising  proportions,  sends 
up  hundreds  of  flowers,  which  are  followed  by 
ruby  gems  of  fruit  whose  exquisite  flavor  is  only 
surpassed  by  its  beauty.  No  such  concentrated 
ambrosia  ever  graced  the  feasts  of  the  Olympian 
gods,  for  they  were  restricted  to  the  humble  Fra- 
garia  vesca,  or  Alpine  species.  In  discovering  the 


STRAWBERRIES.  l6/ 

New  World,  Columbus  also  discovered  the  true 
strawberry,  and  died  without  the  knowledge  of 
this  result  of  his  achievement. 

I  can  imagine  the  expression  on  the  faces  of 
those  who  buy  the  "  sour,  crude,  half-ripe  Wil- 
sons," against  which  the  poet  Bryant  inveighed  so 
justly.  The  market  is  flooded  with  this  fruit  be- 
cause it  bears  transportation  about  as  well  as  would 
marbles.  Yes,  they  are  strawberries ;  choke-pears 
and  Seckels  belong  to  the  same  species.  There 
is  truth  enough  in  my  exaggeration  to  warrant  the 
assertion  that  if  we  would  enjoy  "the  possible  straw- 
berry, we  must  raise  it  ourselves,  and  pick  it  when 
fully  matured,  —  ready  for  the  table,  and  not  for 
market.  Then  any  man's  garden  can  furnish 
something  better  than  was  found  in  Eden. 

Having  started  a  strawberry-patch  without  loss 
of  time  wherever  it  is  handiest,  we  can  now  give 
our  attention  to  the  formation  of  an  ideal  bed.  In 
this  instance  we  must  shun  the  shade  of  trees  above, 
and  their  roots  beneath.  The  land  should  be  open 
to  the  sky,  and  the  sun  free  to  practise  his  alchemy 
on  the  fruit  the  greater  part  of  the  day.  The  most 
favorable  soil  is  a  sandy  loam,  verging  towards 
clay;  and  it  should  have  been  under  cultivation 
sufficiently  long  to  destroy  all  roots  of  grass  and 
perennial  weeds.  Put  on  the  fertilizer  with  a  free 
hand.  If  it  is  barn-yard  manure,  the  rate  of  sixty 


1 68  THE   HOME   ACRE. 

tons  to  the  acre  is  not  in  excess.  A  strawberry 
plant  has  a  large  appetite  and  excellent  digestion. 
It  prefers  decidedly  manure  from  the  cow-stable, 
though  that  from  the  horse-stable  answers  very 
well ;  but  it  is  not  advisable  to  incorporate  it  with 
the  soil  in  its  raw,  unfermented  state,  and  then  to 
plant  immediately.  The  ground  can  scarcely  be 
too  rich  for  strawberries,  but  it  may  easily  be  over- 
heated and  stimulated.  In  fertilizing,  ever  keep  in 
mind  the  two  great  requisites,  —  moisture  and  cool- 
ness. Manure  from  the  horse-stable,  therefore,  is 
almost  doubled  in  value  as  well  as  bulk  if  com- 
posted with  leaves,  muck,  or  sods,  and  allowed  to 
decay  before  being  used. 

Next  to  enriching  the  soil,  the  most  important 
step  is  to  deepen  it.  If  a  plough  is  used,  sink  it  to 
the  beam,  and  run  it  twice  in  a  furrow.  If  a  lifting 
subsoil-plough  can  follow,  all  the  better.  Straw- 
berry roots  have  been  traced  two  feet  below  the 
surface. 

If  the  situation  of  the  plot  does  not  admit  the 
use  of  a  plough,  let  the  gardener  begin  at  one  side 
and  trench  the  area  to  at  least  the  depth  of  eigh- 
teen inches,  taking  pains  to  mix  the  surface,  sub- 
soil, and  fertilizer  evenly  and  thoroughly.  A 
small  plot  thus  treated  will  yield  as  much  as  one 
three  or  four  times  as  large.  One  of  the  chief 
advantages  of  thus  deepening  the  soil  is  that  the 


STRAWBERRIES.  169 

plants  are  insured  against  their  worst  enemy, — 
drought  How  often  I  have  seen  beds  in  early 
June  languishing  for  moisture,  the  fruit  trusses 
lying  on  the  ground,  fainting  under  their  burden, 
and  the  berries  ripening  prematurely  into  little 
more  than  diminutive  collections  of  seeds  !  When 
ground  has  been  deepened  as  I  have  said,  the 
drought  must  be  almost  unparalleled  to  arrest  the 
development  of  the  fruit.  Even  in  the  most  fa- 
vorable seasons,  hard,  shallow  soils  give  but  a  brief 
period  of  strawberries ;  the  fruit  ripens  all  at  once, 
and  although  the  first  berries  may  be  of  good  size, 
the  later  ones  dwindle  until  they  are  scarcely  larger 
than  peas.  Be  sure  to  have  a  deep,  mellow  soil 
beneath  the  plants. 

Such  a  bed  can  be  made  in  either  spring  or 
fall,  —  indeed,  at  any  time  when  the  soil  is  free 
from  frost,  and  neither  too  wet  nor  dry.  I  do  not 
believe  in  preparing  and  fertilizing  ground  during 
a  period  of  drought. 

We  will  suppose  the  work  has  been  done  in  the 
spring,  as  early  as  the  earth  was  dry  enough  to 
crumble  freely,  and  that  the  surface  of  the  bed  is 
smooth,  mellow,  and  ready  for  the  plants.  Stretch 
a  garden  line  down  the  length  of  the  plot  two  feet 
from  the  outer  edge,  and  set  the  plants  along  the 
line  one  foot  apart  from  each  other.  Let  the  roots 
be  spread  out,  not  buried  in  a  mat,  the  earth 


I/O  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

pressed  firmly  against  them,  and  the  crown  of  the 
plant  be  exactly  even  with  the  surface  of  the  soil, 
which  should  also  be  pressed  closely  around  it 
with  the  fingers.  This  may  seem  minute  detail, 
yet  much  dismal  experience  proves  it  to  be  essen- 
tial. I  have  employed  scores  of  men,  and  the 
great  majority  at  first  would  either  bury  the  crowns 
out  of  sight,  or  else  leave  part  of  the  roots  exposed, 
and  the  remainder  so  loose  in  the  soil  that  a  sharp 
gale  would  blow  the  plants  away.  There  is  no  one 
so  economical  of  time  as  the  hired  man  whose 
time  is  paid  for.  He  is  ever  bent  on  saving  a 
minute  or  half-minute  in  this  kind  of  work.  On 
one  occasion  I  had  to  reset  a  good  part  of  an  acre 
on  which  my  men  had  saved  time  in  planting.  If 
I  had  asked  them  to  save  the  plants  in  the  year  of 
'86,  they  might  have  "  struck" 

The  first  row  having  been  set  out,  I  advise  that 
the  line  be  moved  forward  three  feet.  This  would 
make  the  rows  three  feet  apart,  —  not  too  far  in 
ground  prepared  as  described,  and  in  view  of  the 
subsequent  method  of  cultivation.  The  bed  may 
therefore  be  filled  up  in  this  ratio,  the  plants  one 
foot  apart  in  the  row,  and  the  rows  three  feet  apart. 
The  next  point  in  my  system,  for  the  kind  of  soil 
named  (for  light,  sandy  soils  another  plan  will  be 
indicated),  is  to  regard  each  plant  as  an  individual 
that  is  to  be  developed  to  the  utmost.  Of  course 


STRAWBERRIES.  1 71 

only  young  plants  of  the  previous  season's  growth 
should  be  used.  If  a  plant  has  old,  woody,  black 
roots,  throw  it  away.  Plants  set  out  in  April  will 
begin  to  blossom  in  May.  These  buds  and  blos- 
soms should  be  picked  off  ruthlessly  as  soon  as 
they  appear.  Never  does  avarice  overreach  itself 
more  completely  than  when  plants  are  permitted 
to  bear  the  same  season  in  which  they  are  set  out. 
The  young,  half-established  plant  is  drained  of  its 
vitality  in  producing  a  little  imperfect  fruit;  yet 
this  is  permitted  even  by  farmers  who  would  hold 
up  their  hands  at  the  idea  of  harnessing  a  colt  to 
a  plough. 

The  plants  do  not  know  anything  about  our 
purpose  in  regard  to  them.  They  merely  seek  to 
follow  the  law  of  Nature  to  propagate  themselves, 
first  by  seeds  which,  strictly  speaking,  are  the  fruit, 
and  then  by  runners.  These  slender,  tendril-like 
growths  begin  to  appear  early  in  summer,  and  if 
left  unchecked  will  mat  the  ground  about  the 
parent  with  young  plants  by  late  autumn.  If  we 
wish  plants,  let  them  grow  by  all  means ;  but  if 
fruit  is  our  object,  why  should  we  let  them  grow? 
"  Because  nearly  every  one  seems  to  do  it,"  would 
be,  perhaps,  the  most  rational  answer.  This  is  a 
mistake,  for  many  are  beginning  to  take  just  the 
opposite  course  even  when  growing  strawberries 
by  the  acre. 


1/2  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

Let  us  fix  our  attention  on  a  single  plant.  It 
has  a  certain  amount  of  root  pasturage  and  space 
in  which  to  grow.  Since  it  is  not  permitted  to 
produce  an  indefinite  number  of  young  plants,  it 
begins  to  develop  itself.  The  soil  is  rich,  the 
roots  are  busy,  and  there  must  be  an  outlet. 
The  original  plant  cannot  form  others,  and  there- 
fore begins  to  produce  fruit-crowns  for  the  com- 
ing year.  All  the  sap,  all  the  increasing  power 
of  root  and  foliage,  are  directed  to  preparation  for 
fruit  In  brief,  we  have  got  the  plant  in  traces ;  it 
is  pulling  in  the  direction  we  wish :  it  will  event- 
ually deliver  a  load  of  berries  which  would  surprise 
those  who  trust  simply  to  Nature  unguided. 

Some  one  may  object  that  this  is  a  troublesome 
and  expensive  way  of  growing  strawberries.  Do 
not  the  facts  in  the  case  prove  the  reverse?  A 
plant  restricted  to  a  single  root  can  be  hoed  and 
worked  around  like  a  hill  of  corn  or  a  currant-bush. 
With  comparatively  little  trouble  the  ground  be- 
tween the  rows  can  be  kept  clean  and  mellow. 
Under  the  common  system,  which  allows  the  run- 
ners to  interlace  and  mat  the  ground,  you  soon 
have  an  almost  endless  amount  of  hand-weeding 
to  do,  and  even  this  fails  if  white  clover,  sorrel,  and 
certain  grasses  once  get  a  start.  The  system  I 
advocate  forbids  neglect ;  the  runners  must  be 
clipped  off  as  fast  as  they  appear,  and  they  con- 


STRAWBERRIES. 

tinue  to  grow  from  June  till  frost ;  but  the  actual 
labor  of  the  year  is  reduced  to  a  minimum.  A 
little  boy  or  girl  could  keep  a  large  bed  clipped 
by  the  occasional  use  of  a  shears  or  knife  before 
breakfast;  and  if  the  ground  between  the  plants  is 
free  of  runners,  it  can  be  hoed  over  in  an  hour. 
Considering,  therefore,  merely  the  trouble  and  ex- 
pense, the  single-plant  system  has  the  facts  in  its 
favor.  But  our  object  is  not  to  grow  strawberry 
plants  with  the  least  trouble,  but  to  have  straw- 
berries of  the  largest  and  finest  quality. 

In  addition  to  ease  and  thoroughness  of  culti- 
vation, there  are  other  important  advantages.  The 
single  narrow  row  of  plants  is  more  easily  pro- 
tected against  winter's  frosts.  Light,  strawy  ma- 
nure from  the  horse-stable  serves  well  for  this 
purpose ;  but  it  should  be  light  and  free  from  heat. 
I  have  seen  beds  destroyed  by  too  heavy  a  cover- 
ing of  chunky,  rank  manure.  It  is  not  our  purpose 
to  keep  the  beds  and  plants  from  freezing,  but 
from  alternately  freezing  and  thawing.  If  snow 
fell  on  the  bed  in  December  and  lasted  till  April, 
no  other  protection  would  be  needed.  Nature  in 
this  latitude  has  no  sympathy. for  the  careless  man. 
During  the  winter  of  1885,  in  January,  and  again  in 
February  and  March,  the  ground  was  bare,  unpro- 
tected plants  were  badly  frozen,  and  in  many  in- 
stances lifted  partly  out  of  the  ground  by  mid-day 


1/4  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

thawing  and  night  freezing.  The  only  safe  course 
is  to  cover  the  rows  thoroughly,  but  not  heavily, 
early  in  December.  If  then  light  stable-manure 
is  not  at  hand,  leaves,  old  bean-vines,  or  any  dry 
refuse  from  the  garden  not  containing  injurious 
seeds  will  answer.  Do  not  employ  asparagus-tops, 
which  contain  seed.  Of  course  we  want  this  vege- 
table, but  not  in  the  strawberry  bed.  Like  some 
persons  out  of  their  proper  sphere,  asparagus  may 
easily  become  a  nuisance;  and  it  will  dispossess 
other  growths  of  their  rights  and  places  as  serenely 
as  a  Knight  of  Labor.  The  proper  balance  must 
be  kept  in  the  garden  as  well  as  in  society;  and 
therefore  it  is  important  to  cover  our  plants  with 
something  that  will  not  speedily  become  a  usurper. 
Let  it  be  a  settled  point,  then,  that  the  narrow  rows 
must  be  covered  thoroughly  out  of  sight  with  some 
light  material  which  will  not  rest  with  smothering 
weight  on  the  plants  or  leave  among  them  injurious 
seeds.  Light  stable-manure  is  often  objected  to 
for  the  reason  that  employing  it  is  like  sowing  the 
ground  with  grass-seed.  If  the  plants  had  been 
allowed  to  grow  in  matted  beds,  I  would  not  use 
this  material  for  a  winter  covering,  unless  it  had 
been  allowed  to  heat  sufficiently  to  destroy  the 
grass  and  clover  seed  contained  in  it.  I  have 
seen  matted  beds  protected  with  stable-manure 
that  were  fit  to  mow  by  June,  the  plants  and 


STRAWBERRIES.  175 

fruit  having  been  overrun  with  grass.  No  such 
result  need  follow  if  the  plants  are  cultivated  in  a 
single  line,  for  then  the  manure  can  be  raked  off 
in  early  spring,  —  first  of  April  in  our  latitude, — 
and  the  ground  cultivated.  There  is  a  great  ad- 
vantage in  employing  light  manure  if  the  system 
I  advocate  is  followed,  for  the  melting  snows  and 
rains  carry  the  richness  of  the  fertilizer  to  the  roots, 
and  winter  protection  serves  a  double  purpose. 

We  will  now  consider  the  proper  management 
for  the  second  year,  when  a  full  crop  should  be 
yielded.  I  know  that  many  authorities  frown  upon 
cultivation  during  the  second  spring,  before  plants 
bear  their  fruit.  I  cannot  agree  with  this  view, 
except  in  regard  to  very  light  soils,  and  look  upon 
it  as  a  relic  of  the  old  theory  that  sandy  land  was 
the  best  for  strawberries.  Take  the  soil  under 
consideration,  a  sandy  loam,  for  instance.  After 
the  frost  is  out,  the  earth  settled,  and  the  winter 
covering  raked  off,  the  soil  under  the  spring  sun 
grows  hard,  and  by  June  is  almost  as  solid  as 
a  road-bed.  Every  one  knows  that  land  in  such 
condition  suffers  tenfold  more  severely  from 
drought  than  if  it  were  light  and  mellow  from 
cultivation.  Perennial  weeds  that  sprouted  late  in 
the  fall  or  early  spring  get  a  start,  and  by  fruit- 
ing-time  are  rampant.  I  do  advocate  early  spring 
cultivation,  and  by  it  I  almost  double  my  crop, 


1/6  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

while  at  the  same  time  maintaining  a  mastery  over 
the  weeds. 

As  soon  as  the  severe  frosts  are  over,  in  April, 
I  rake  the  coarsest  of  the  stable-manure  from  the 
plants,  leaving  the  finer  and  decayed  portions  as  a 
fertilizer.  Then,  when  the  ground  is  dry  enough 
to  work,  I  have  a  man  weed  out  the  rows,  and  if 
there  are  vacant  spaces,  fill  in  the  rows  with  young 
plants.  The  man  then  forks  the  ground  lightly 
between  the  rows,  and  stirs  the  surface  merely 
among  the  plants.  Thus  all  the  hard,  sodden 
surface  is  loosened  or  scarified,  and  opened  to  the 
reception  of  air  and  light,  dew  and  rain.  The  man 
is  charged  emphatically  that  in  this  cultivation  he 
must  not  lift  the  plants  or  disturb  the  roots  to  any 
extent.  If  I  find  a  plant  with  its  hold  upon  the 
ground  loosened,  I  know  there  has  been  careless 
work.  Before  digging  along  the  row  the  fork  is 
sunk  beside  the  plants  to  prevent  the  soil  from 
lifting  in  cakes,  and  the  plants  with  them.  In 
brief,  pains  are  taken  that  the  plants  should  be 
just  as  firm  in  the  soil  after  cultivation  as  before. 
Let  the  reader  carefully  observe  that  this  work 
is  done  early  in  April,  while  the  plants  are  com- 
paratively dormant.  Most  emphatically  it  should 
not  be  done  in  May,  after  the  blossoms  begin  to 
appear.  If  the  bed  has  been  neglected  till  that 
time,  the  surface  merely  can  be  cultivated  with  a 


STRAWBERRIES.  177 

hoe.  When  the  plants  have  approached  so  near 
to  the  fruiting,  the  roots  must  not  be  disturbed  at 
all.  Early  cultivation  gives  time  for  new  roots  to 
grow,  and  stimulates  such  growth.  Where  the 
rows  are  sufficiently  long,  and  the  ground  permits 
it,  this  early  loosening  of  the  soil  is  accomplished 
with  a  horse-cultivator  better  than  with  a  fork,  the 
hoe  following  and  levelling  the  soil  and  taking  out 
all  weeds. 

My  next  step  during  the  second  season  is  to 
mulch  the  plants,  in  order  to  keep  the  fruit  clean. 
Without  this  mulch  the  fruit  is  usually  unfit  for 
the  table.  A  dashing  shower  splashes  the  berries 
with  mud  and  grit,  and  the  fruit  must  be  washed 
before  it  is  eaten ;  and  strawberries  with  their  sun- 
bestowed  beauty  and  flavor  washed  away  are  as 
ridiculous  as  is  mere  noise  from  musical  instru- 
ments. To  be  content  with  such  fruit  is  like  valu- 
ing pictures  by  the  number  of  square  inches  of 
canvas  !  In  perfecting  a  strawberry,  Nature  gives 
some  of  her  finest  touches,  and  it  is  not  well  to 
obliterate  them  with  either  mud  or  water.  Any 
light  clean  material  will  keep  the  fruit  clean.  I 
have  found  spring  rakings  of  the  lawn  —  mingled 
dead  grass  and  leaves  —  one  of  the  best.  Leaves 
from  a  grove  would  answer,  were  it  not  for  their 
blowing  about  in  an  untidy  way.  Of  course  there 
is  nothing  better  than  straw  for  the  strawberry;  but 

12 


178  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

this  often  costs  as  much  as  hay.  Any  clean  litter 
that  will  lie  close  to  the  ground  and  can  be  pushed 
up  under  the  plants  will  answer.  Nor  should  it 
be  merely  under  the  plants.  A  man  once  mulched 
my  rows  in  such  a  way  that  the  fruit  hung  over 
the  litter  on  the  soil  beyond.  A  little  common- 
sense  will  meet  the  requirement  of  keeping  the 
berries  well  away  from  the  loose  soil,  while  at  the 
same  time  preserving  a  neat  aspect  to  the  bed. 
Pine-needles  and  salt-hay  are  used  where  these 
materials  are  abundant. 

Make  it  a  rule  to  mulch  as  soon  as  possible  after 
the  plants  begin  to  blossom,  and  also  after  a  good 
soaking  rain.  In  this  case  the  litter  keeps  the 
ground  moist  If  the  soil  immediately  about  the 
plants  is  covered  when  dry,  the  mulch  may  keep 
it  dry,  —  to  the  great  detriment  of  the  forming 
berries.  It  is  usually  best  to  put  on  the  mulch  as 
soon  as  the  early  cultivation  is  over  in  April,  and 
then  the  bed  may  be  left  till  the  fruit  is  picked. 
Of  course  it  may  be  necessary  to  pull  out  some 
rank-growing  weeds  from  time  to  time.  If  the 
hired  man  is  left  to  do  the  mulching  very  late  in 
the  season,  he  will  probably  cover  much  of  the 
green  fruit  and  blossoms  as  well  as  the  ground. 

After  the  berries  have  been  picked,  the  remain- 
ing treatment  of  the  year  is  very  simple.  Rake 
out  the  mulch,  cultivate  the  soil,  and  keep  the  plants 


STRAWBERRIES.  179 

free  of  weeds  and  runners  as  during  the  previous 
year.  Before  hard  freezing  weather,  protect  again 
as  before,  and  give  the  plants  similar  treatment 
the  following  spring  and  summer.  Under  this 
system  the  same  plants  may  be  kept  in  bearing 
three,  four,  and  five  years,  according  to  the  va- 
riety. Some  kinds  maintain  their  vigor  longer 
than  others.  After  the  first  year  the  disposition 
to  run  declines,  and  with  the  third  year,  in  most 
instances,  deterioration  in  the  plant  itself  begins. 
I  would  therefore  advise  that  under  this  system  a 
new  bed  be  made,  as  described,  every  third  year ; 
for,  it  should  be  remembered,  the  new  bed  is  un- 
productive the  first  year.  This  should  never  be 
forgotten  if  one  would  maintain  a  continuous 
supply  of  berries,  otherwise  he  will  be  like  those 
born  on  the  29th  of  February,  and  have  only 
occasional  birthdays. 

If  the  old  bed  is  just  where  you  wish,  and  has 
been  prepared  in  the  thorough  manner  described, 
it  can  be  renewed  in  the  following  manner :  When 
the  old  plants  begin  to  decline  in  vigor, — say  the 
third  or  fourth  spring,  —  a  line  of  well-decayed  com- 
post and  manure  from  the  cow-stable  a  foot  wide 
maybe  spread  thickly  down  between  the  rows,  dug 
under  deeply,  and  young  plants  set  out  just  over 
the  fertilizer.  The  old  plants  can  be  treated  as 
has  already  been  described,  and  as  soon  as  they 


ISO  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

are  through  bearing,  dug  under.  This  would  leave 
the  young  plants  in  full  possession  of  the  ground, 
and  the  cultivation  and  management  for  three 
or  more  years  would  go  on  as  already  directed. 
This  course  involves  no  loss  of  time  or  change  of 
ground  for  a  long  period.  If,  however,  a  new  bed 
can  be  made  somewhere  else,  the  plants  will  thrive 
better  upon  it.  Unless  there  are  serious  objec- 
tions, a  change  of  ground  is  always  advantageous ; 
for  no  matter  how  lavishly  the  plot  is  enriched, 
the  strawberry  appears  to  exhaust  certain  required 
constituents  in  the  soil.  Continued  vigor  is  better 
maintained  by  wood-ashes  perhaps  than  by  any 
other  fertilizer,  after  the  soil  is  once  deepened  and 
enriched,  and  it  may  be  regarded  as  one  of  the 
very  best  tonics  for  the  strawberry  plant.  Bone- 
meal  is  almost  equally  good.  Guano  and  kindred 
fertilizers  are  too  stimulating,  and  have  not  the 
staying  qualities  required. 

As  has  been  intimated  before,  the  strawberry 
bed  may  often  be  so  located  on  the  Home  Acre  as 
to  permit  of  irrigation.  This  does  not  mean 
sprinkling  and  splattering  with  water,  but  the  con- 
tinuous maintenance  of  abundant  moisture  during 
the  critical  period  from  the  time  the  fruit  begins 
to  form  until  it  ripens.  Partial  watering  during  a 
drought  is  very  injurious;  so  also  would  be  too 
frequent  watering.  If  the  ground  could  be  soaked 


STRAWBERRIES.  l8l 

twice  a  week  in  the  evening,  and  then  left  to  the 
hardening  and  maturing  influence  of  the  sun  and 
wind,  the  finest  results  would  be  secured.  I  am 
satisfied  that  in  most  localities  the  size  of  the  ber- 
ries and  the  number  of  quarts  produced  might  be 
doubled  by  judicious  irrigation. 

The  system  given  above  applies  not  only  to 
sandy  loam,  but  also  to  all  varieties  of  clay,  even 
the  most  stubborn.  In  the  latter  instance  it  would 
be  well  to  employ  stable-manure  in  the  initial  en- 
riching, for  this  would  tend  to  lighten  and  warm 
the  soil.  Care  must  also  be  exercised  in  not  work- 
ing clay  when  it  is  too  wet  or  too  dry.  Mulch  also 
plays  an  important  part  on  heavy  clay,  for  it  pre- 
vents the  soil  from  baking  and  cracking.  One  of 
the  best  methods  of  preventing  this  is  to  top-dress 
the  ground  with  stable-manure,  and  hoe  it  in  from 
time  to  time  when  fighting  the  weeds.  This  keeps 
the  surface  open  and  mellow,  —  a  vital  necessity  for 
vigorous  growth.  Few  plants  will  thrive  when  the 
surface  is  hard  and  baked.  Nevertheless,  if  I  had 
to  choose  between  heavy  clay  and  light  sand  for 
strawberries,  I  should  much  prefer  the  clay.  On 
the  last-named  soil  an  abundant  winter  protection 
is  absolutely  necessary,  or  else  the  plants  will 
freeze  entirely  out  of  the  ground. 

The  native  strain  of  cultivated  strawberries  has 
so  much  vigor  and  power  of  adaptation  that  plenty 


1 82  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

of  excellent  varieties  can  be  grown  on  the  lightest 
soil.  In  this  instance,  however,  we  would  suggest 
important  modifications  in  preparation  and  cul- 
ture. The  soil,  as  has  been  already  shown,  must 
be  treated  like  a  spendthrift.  Deep  ploughing  or 
spading  should  be  avoided,  as  the  subsoil  is  too 
loose  and  leachy  already.  The  initial  enriching  of 
the  bed  should  be  generous,  but  not  lavish.  You 
cannot  deposit  fertilizers  for  long-continued  use. 
I  should  prefer  to  harrow  or  rake  in  the  manure, 
leaving  it  near  the  surface.  The  rains  will  carry 
it  down  fast  enough.  One  of  the  very  best  meth- 
ods is  to  open  furrows,  three  feet  apart,  with  a 
light  corn-plough,  half  fill  them  with  decayed  com- 
post, again  run  the  plough  through  to  mix  the 
fertilizer  with  the  soil,  then  level  the  ground,  and 
set  out  the  plants  immediately  over  the  manure. 
They  thus  get  the  benefit  of  it  before  it  can  leach 
away.  The  accomplished  horticulturist  Mr.  P.  T. 
Quinn,  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  has  achieved  remarkable 
success  by  this  plan. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  on  light  land  straw- 
berry plants  are  not  so  long-lived  and  do  not 
develop,  or  "  stool  out,"  as  it  is  termed,  as  on 
heavier  land.  In  order  to  secure  the  largest  and 
best  possible  crop,  therefore,  I  should  not  advise 
a  single  line  of  plants,  but  rather  a  narrow  bed  of 
plants,  say  eighteen  inches  wide,  leaving  eighteen 


STRAWBERRIES.  183 

inches  for  a  walk.  I  would  not  allow  this  bed  to 
be  matted  with  an  indefinite  number  of  little  plants 
crowding  each  other  into  feeble  life,  but  would 
leave  only  those  runners  which  had  taken  root 
early,  and  destroy  the  rest.  A  plant  which  forms 
in  June  and  the  first  weeks  in  July  has  time  to 
mature  good-sized  fruit-buds  before  winter,  espe- 
cially jf  given  space  in  which  to  develop.  This, 
however,  would  be  impossible  if  the  runners  were 
allowed  to  sod  the  ground  thickly.  In  principle  I 
would  carry  out  the  first  system,  and  give  each 
plant  space  in  which  to  grow  upon  its  own  root  as 
large  as  :t  naturally  would  in  a  light  soil,  and  I 
-.vould  have  a  sufficient  number  of  plants  to  supply 
the  deficiency  in  growth.  On  good,  loamy  soil, 
the  foliage  of  single  lines  of  plants,  three  feet  apart, 
will  grow  so  large  as  to  touch  across  the  spaces ; 
but  this  could  scarcely  be  expected  on  light  soil 
unless  irrigation  were  combined  with  great  fertility. 
Nevertheless,  a  bed  with  plants  standing  not  too 
thickly  upcn  it  will  give  an  abundance  of  superb 
fruit. 

Strawberries  grown  in  beds  may  not  require  so 
much  sprirg  mulching  to  keep  the  fruit  clean,  but 
should  carefully  receive  all  that  is  needed.  Winter 
protectionalso  is  not  so  indispensable  as  on  heavier 
soils,  but  it  always  well  repays.  A  thick  bed  of 
plants  should  never  be  protected  by  any  kind  of 


1 84  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

litter  which  would  leave  seeds  of  various  kinds,  for 
under  this  system  of  culture  weeds  must  be  taken 
out  by  hand ;  and  this  is  always  slow,  back-aching 
work. 

When  plants  are  grown  in  beds  it  does  not  pay 
to  continue  them  after  fruiting  the  third  year. 
For  instance,  they  are  set  out  in  spring,  and  during 
the  first  season  they  are  permitted  to  make  a  lim- 
ited number  of  runners,  and  prepare  to  fruit  -the 
following  year.  After  the  berries  are  picked 
the  third  year,  dig  the  plants  under,  and  occupy 
the  ground  with  something  else.  On  light  soils, 
and  where  the  plants  are  grown  in  beds  instead  of 
narrow  rows,  new  beds  should  be  set  out  every 
alternate  year. 

In  order  to  have  an  abundant  supply  of  young 
plants  it  is  only  necessary  to  let  one  end  of  a  row 
or  a  small  portion  of  a  bed  run  at  will.  Then  new 
plants  can  be  set  out  as  desired. 

While  more  strawberries  are  planted  in  spring 
than  at  any  other  time,  certain  advantages  are 
secured  by  summer  and  fall  setting.  This  is  espe- 
cially true  of  gardens  wherein  early  crops  are  ma- 
turing, leaving  the  ground  vacant.  Foj  instance, 
there  are  areas  from  which  early  peas,  beans,  or 
potatoes  have  been  gathered.  Suppose  such  a 
plot  is  ready  for  something  else  in  July  or  August, 
the  earlier  the  better.  Unless  the  grourd  is  very 


STRAWBERRIES.  1 8  5 

dry,  a  bed  can  be  prepared  as  has  been  described. 
If  the  soil  is  in  good  condition,  rich  and  deep,  it 
can  be  dug  thoroughly,  and  the  plants  set  out  at 
once  in  the  cool  of  the  evening,  or  just  before  a 
.shower.  During  the  hot  season  a  great  advantage 
is  secured  if  the  plants  are  set  immediately  after 
the  ground  is  prepared,  and  while  the  surface  is 
still  moist.  It  is  unfortunate  if  ground  is  made 
ready  and  then  permitted  to  dry  out  before  plant- 
ing takes  place,  for  watering,  no  matter  how 
thorough,  has  not  so  good  an  influence  in  start- 
ing new  growth  as  the  natural  moisture  of  the  soil. 
It  would  be  better,  therefore,  to  dig  the  ground 
late  in  the  afternoon,  and  set  out  the  plants  the 
same  evening.  Watering,  however,  should  never 
be  dispensed  with  during  warm  weather,  unless 
there  is  a  certainty  of  rain ;  and  even  then  it  does 
no  harm. 

Suppose  one  wishes  to  set  a  new  bed  in  July. 
If  he  has  strawberries  growing  on  his  place,  his 
course  would  be  to  let  some  of  his  favorite  varie- 
ties make  new  runners  as  early  as  possible.  These 
should  be  well-rooted  young  plants  by  the  middle 
of  the  month.  After  the  new  ground  is  prepared, 
these  can  be  taken  up,  with  a  ball  of  earth  attached 
to  their  roots,  and  carried  carefully  to  their  new 
starting-place.  If  they  are  removed  so  gently  as 
not  to  shake  off  the  earth  from  the  roots,  they  will 


1 86  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

not  know  that  they  have  been  moved,  but  continue 
to  thrive  without  wilting  a  leaf.  If  such  transplant- 
ing is  done  immediatelyafter  a  soaking  rain,  the  soil 
will  cling  to  the  roots  so  tenaciously  as  to  insure  a 
transfer  that  will  not  cause  any  check  of  growth. 
But  it  is  not  necessary  to  wait  for  rain.  At  five  in 
the  afternoon  soak  with  water  the  ground  in  which 
the  young  plants  are  standing,  and  by  six  o'clock 
you  can  take  up  the  plants  with  their  roots  encased 
in  clinging  earth,  just  as  successfully  as  after  a 
rain.  Plants  thus  transferred,  and  watered  after 
being  set  out,  will  not  wilt,  although  the  ther- 
mometer is  in  the  nineties  the  following  day.  If 
young  plants  are  scarce,  take  up  the  strongest  and 
best-rooted  ones,  and  leave  the  runner  attached; 
set  out  such  plants  with  their  balls  of  earth  four 
feet  apart  in  the  row,  and  with  a  lump  of  earth 
fasten  down  the  runners  along  the  line.  Within  a 
month  these  runners  will  fill  up  the  new  rows  as 
closely  as  desirable.  Then  all  propagation  in  the 
new  beds  should  be  checked,  and  the  plants  com- 
pelled to  develop  for  fruiting  in  the  coming  season. 
In  this  latitude  a  plant  thus  transferred  in  July  or 
August  will  bear  a  very  good  crop  the  following 
June,  and  the  berries  will  probably  be  larger  than  in 
the  following  years.  This  tendency  to  produce  very 
large  fruit  is  characteristic  of  young  plants  set  out 
in  summer.  It  thus  may  be  seen  that  plants  set  in 


STRAWBERRIES.  1 87 

spring  cannot  produce  a  good  crop  of  fruit  under 
about  fourteen  months,  while  others,  set  in  sum- 
mer, will  yield  in  nine  or  ten  months.  I  have  set 
out  many  acres  in  summer  and  early  autumn  with 
the  most  satisfactory  results.  Thereafter  the  plants 
were  treated  in  precisely  the  same  manner  as  those 
set  in  spring. 

If  the  plants  must  be  bought  and  transported 
from  a  distance  during  hot  weather,  I  should  not 
advise  the  purchase  of  any  except  those  grown  in 
pots.  Nurserymen  have  made  us  familiar  with 
pot-grown  plants,  for  we  fill  our  flower-beds  with 
them.  In  like  manner  strawberry  plants  are  grown 
and  sold.  Little  pots,  three  inches  across  at  the 
top,  are  sunk  in  the  earth  along  a  strawberry  row, 
and  the  rnnners  so  fastened  down  that  they  take 
root  in  these  pots.  In  about  two  weeks  the  young 
plant  will  fill  a  pot  with  roots.  It  may  then  be 
severed  from  the  parent,  and  transported  almost 
any  distance,  like  a  verbena.  Usually  the  ball  of 
earth  and  roots  is  separated  from  the  pot,  and  is 
then  wrapped  in  paper  before  being  packed  in  the 
shallow  box  employed  for  shipping  purposes.  A 
nurseryman  once  distributed  in  a  summer  through- 
out the  country  a  hundred  thousand  plants  of  one 
variety  grown  in  this  manner.  The  earth  encasing 
the  roots  sustained  the  plants  during  transpor- 
tation and  after  setting  sufficiently  to  prevent  any 


1 88  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

loss  worth  mentioning.  This  method  of  the  plant- 
grower  can  easily  be  employed  on  the  Home  Acre. 
Pots  filled  with  earth  may  be  sunk  along  the  straw- 
berry rows  in  the  garden,  the  runners  made  to 
root  in  them,  and  from  them  transferred  to  any 
part  of  the  garden  wherein  we  propose  to  make  a 
new  bed.  It  is  only  a  neater  and  more  certain 
way  of  removing  young  plants  with  a  ball  of  earth 
from  the  open  bed. 

Some  have  adopted  this  system  in  raising  straw- 
berries for  market.  They  prepare  very  rich  beds, 
fill  them  with  pot-grown  plants  in  June  or  July, 
take  from  these  plants  one  crop  the  following  June, 
then  plough  them  under.  As  a  rule,  however, 
such  plants  cannot  be  bought  in  quantities  before 
August  or  September. 

As  we  go  south,  September,  October,  or  No- 
vember, according  to  lowness  of  latitude,  are  the 
favorite  months  for  planting.  I  have  had  excel- 
lent success  on  the  Hudson  in  late  autumn  plant- 
ing. My  method  has  been  to  cover  the  young 
plants,  just  before  the  ground  froze,  with  two  or 
three  inches  of  clean  earth,  and  then  to  rake  it  off 
again  early  in  April.  The  roots  of  such  plants 
become  thoroughly  established  during  the  winter, 
and  start  with  double  vigor.  Plants  set  out  in  late 
autumn  do  best  on  light,  dry  soils.  On  heavy 
soils  they  will  be  frozen  out  unless  well  covered. 


STRAWBERRIES.  189 

They  should  not  be  allowed  to  bear  the  following 
season.  A  late-set  plant  cannot  before  winter  in 
our  climate  become  strong  and  sturdy  enough  to 
produce  much  fruit  the  following  season.  I  make 
it  a  rule  not  to  permit  plants  set  out  after  the  first 
of  October  to  bear  fruit  until  a  year  from  the  fol- 
lowing June. 

In  setting  out  plants,  the  principle  of  sex  should 
be  remembered.  The  majority  of  our  favorite 
varieties  are  bisexual ;  that  is,  the  blossoms  are  fur- 
nished with  both  stamens  and  pistils.  A  variety 
with  this  organization,  as  the  Sharpless,  for  instance, 
will  bear  alone  with  no  other  kind  near  it.  But  if 
one  set  out  a  bed  of  Champions  —  another  fine  va- 
riety —  well  apart  from  any  staminate  kind,  it  would 
blossom  profusely,  but  produce  no  fruit.  When  I 
was  a  boy,  Hovey's  Seedling  was  the  great  straw- 
berry of  the  day,  and  marvellous  stories  were  told 
of  the  productiveness  of  the  plants  and  the  size  of 
the  berries.  How  well  I  remember  the  disappoint- 
ment and  wrath  of  people  who  bought  the  plants 
at  a  high  price,  and  set  them  out  with  no  staminate 
varieties  near  to  fertilize  the  pistillate  blossoms ! 
Expectations  were  raised  to  the  highest  pitch  by 
profuse  blossoming  in  May,  but  not  a  berry  could 
be  found  the  ensuing  June.  The  vigorous  plants 
were  only  a  mockery,  and  the  people  who  sold 
them  were  berated  as  humbugs.  To-day  the  most 


IQO  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

highly  praised  strawberry  is  the  Jewell.  The  origi- 
nator, Mr.  P.  M.  Augur,  writes  me  that  "  plants 
set  two  feet  by  eighteen  inches  apart,  August  I, 
1884,  in  June,  1885,  completely  covered  the  ground, 
touching  both  ways,  and  averaged  little  over  a 
quart  to  the  plant  for  the  entire  patch."  All  run- 
ners were  kept  off,  in  accordance  with  the  system 
advocated  in  this  paper.  "  At  Boston  a  silver 
medal  was  awarded  to  this  variety  as  the  best  new 
strawberry  introduced  within  five  years."  People 
reading  such  laudation  —  well  deserved,  I  believe 
—  might  conclude  the  best  is  good  enough  for  us, 
and  send  for  enough  Jewell  plants  to  set  out  a  bed. 
If  they  set  no  others  near  it,  their  experience 
would  be  similar  to  that  which  I  witnessed  in  the 
case  of  Hovey's  Seedling  thirty  odd  years  ago. 
The  blossom  of  the  Jewell  contains  pistils  only, 
and  will  produce  no  fruit  unless  a  staminate  variety 
is  planted  near.  I  have  never  considered  this  an 
objection  against  a  variety;  for  why  should  any 
one  wish  to  raise  only  one  variety  of  strawberry? 
All  danger  of  barrenness  in  pistillate  kinds  is 
removed  absolutely  by  planting  staminate  sorts  in 
the  same  bed.  In  nurserymen's  catalogues  pistil- 
late varieties  are  marked  "  P.,"  and  the  purchaser 
has  merely  to  set  out  the  plants  within  a  few  feet 
of  some  perfect  flowering  kind  to  secure  abundant 
fruit. 


STRAWBERRIES.  19 1 

As  a  result  of  much  experience,  I  will  now  make 
some  suggestions  as  to  varieties.  In  a  former 
paper  I  have  given  the  opinions  of  others  upon 
this  important  subject,  and  one  can  follow  the 
advice  of  such  eminent  authorities  without  mis- 
giving. The  earliest  strawberry  that  I  have  ever 
raised,  and  one  of  the  best  flavored,  is  the  Crystal 
City.  It  is  evidently  a  wild  variety  domesticated, 
and  it  has  the  exquisite  flavor  and  perfume  of  the 
field  berry.  It  rarely  fails  to  give  us  fruit  in  May, 
and  my  children,  with  the  unerring  taste  of  con- 
noisseurs, follow  it  up  until  the  last  berry  is  picked. 
It  would  run  all  over  the  garden  unchecked ;  and 
this  propensity  must  be  severely  curbed  to  render 
a  bed  productive.  Keeping  earliness  and  high 
flavor  in  view,  I  would  next  recommend  the  Black 
Defiance.  It  is  not  remarkably  productive  on 
many  soils,  but  the  fruit  is  so  delicious  that  it  well 
deserves  a  place.  The  Duchess  and  Bidwell  fol- 
low in  the  order  of  ripening.  On  my  grounds  they 
have  always  made  enormous  plants,  and  yielded  an 
abundance  of  good-flavored  berries.  The  Down- 
ing is  early  to  medium  in  the  season  of  ripening, 
and  should  be  in  every  collection.  The  Indiana  is 
said  to  resemble  this  kind,  and  to  be  an  improve- 
ment upon  it.  Miner's  Prolific  is  another  kindred 
berry,  and  a  most  excellent  one.  Among  the 


192  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

latest  berries  I  recommend  the  Sharpless,  Cham- 
pion, or  Windsor  Chief,  and  Parry.  If  one  wishes 
to  raise  a  very  large,  late,  showy  berry,  let  him 
try  the  Longfellow.  The  Cornelia  is  said  to  grow 
very  large  and  ripen  late,  but  I  have  not  yet  fruited 
it.  As  I  said  fifteen  or  twenty  years  ago,  if  I 
were  restricted  to  but  one  variety,  I  should  choose 
the  Triomphe  de  Gand,  a  foreign  kind,  but  well 
adapted  to  rich,  heavy  soils.  The  berries  begin  to 
ripen  early,  and  last  very  late.  The  Memphis 
Late  has  always  been  the  last  to  mature  on  my 
grounds,  and,  like  the  Crystal  City,  is  either  a  wild 
variety,  or  else  but  slightly  removed.  The  Wilson 
is  the  great  berry  of  commerce.  It  is  not  ripe 
when  it  is  red,  and  therefore  is  rarely  eaten  in  per- 
fection. Let  it  get  almost  black  in  its  ripeness, 
and  it  is  one  of  the  richest  berries  in  existence. 
With  a  liberal  allowance  of  sugar  and  cream,  it 
makes  a  dish  much  too  good  for  an  average  king. 
It  is  also  the  best  variety  for  preserving. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  all  strawberries, 
unlike  pears,  should  be  allowed  to  mature  fully 
before  being  picked.  Many  a  variety  is  condemned 
because  the  fruit  is  eaten  prematurely.  There  is 
no  richer  berry  in  existence  than  the  Windsor 
Chief,  yet  the  fruit,  when  merely  red,  is  decidedly 
disagreeable. 


STRAWBERRIES.  193 

The  reader  can  now  make  a  selection  of  kinds 
which  should  give  him  six  weeks  of  strawberries. 
At  the  same  time  he  must  be  warned  that  plants 
growing  in  a  hard,  dry,  poor  soil,  and  in  matted 
beds,  yield  their  fruit  almost  together,  no  matter 
how  many  varieties  may  have  been  set  out.  Under 
such  conditions  the  strawberry  season  is  brief 
indeed. 

While  I  was  writing  this  paper  the  chief  enemy 
of  the  strawberry  came  blundering  and  bumping 
about  my  lamp,  —  the  May  beetle.  The  larva  of 
this  insect,  the  well-known  white  grub,  has  an 
insatiable  appetite  for  strawberry  roots,  and  in 
some  localities  and  seasons  is  very  destructive.  One 
year  I  lost  at  least  one  hundred  thousand  plants 
by  this  pest.  This  beetle  does  not  often  lay  its 
egg  in  well-cultivated  ground,  and  we  may  reason- 
ably hope  to  escape  its  ravages  in  a  garden.  If, 
when  preparing  for  a  bed,  many  white  grubs  are 
found  in  the  soil,  I  should  certainly  advise  that 
another  locality  be  chosen.  The  only  remedy  is 
to  dig  out  the  larvae  and  kill  them.  If  you  find  a 
plant  wilting  without  apparent  cause,  you  may  be 
sure  that  a  grub  is  feeding  on  the  roots.  The 
strawberry  plant  is  comparatively  free  from  in- 
sect enemies  and  disease,  and  rarely  disappoints 
any  one  who  gives  it  a  tithe  of  the  attention  it 
deserves. 

13 


194  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

There  are  many  points  in  connection  with  this 
fruit  which,  in  a  small  treatise  like  this,  must  be 
merely  touched  upon  or  omitted  altogether.  I  may 
refer  those  who  wish  to  study  the  subject  more 
thoroughly  to  my  work,  "  Success  with  Small 
Fruits." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  KITCHEN-GARDEN. 

THE  garden  should  be  open  to  the  sky,  and 
as  far  as  possible  unshaded  by  adjacent 
trees  from  the  morning  and  afternoon  sun.  It  is 
even  more  essential  that  the  trees  be  not  so  near 
that  their  voracious  roots  can  make  their  way  to 
the  rich  loam  of  the  garden. 

Now  for  the  soil.  We  should  naturally  suppose 
that  that  of  Eden  was  a  deep  sandy  loam,  with  not 
too  porous  a  subsoil.  As  we  have  already  seen 
again  and  again,  such  a  soil  appears  to  be  the  lab- 
oratory in  which  we  can  assist  Nature  to  develop 
her  best  products.  But  Nature  has  a  profound 
respect  for  skill,  and  when  she  recognizes  it,  "lends 
a  hand  "  in  securing  excellent  crops  from  almost 
drifting  sand  or  stubborn  clay.  She  has  even  as- 
sisted the  Hollander  in  wresting  from  the  ocean 
one  of  the  gardens  of  the  world. 

We  must  again  dwell  on  the  principles  already 
emphasized,  that  soils  must  be  treated  according 
to  their  nature.  If  too  damp,  they  must  be  drained ; 
if  of  the  fortunate  quality  of  a  sandy  loam  resting 


196  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

on  a  clay  subsoil,  they  can  be  abundantly  deep- 
ened and  enriched  from  the  start;  if  of  a  heavy 
clay,  inclined  to  be  cold  and  wet  in  spring,  and  to 
bake  and  crack  in  summer,  skill  should  aim  to 
lighten  it  and  remove  its  inertia;  finally,  as  we 
have  shown,  a  light,  porous  soil  should  be  treated 
like  a  spendthrift.  All  soils,  except  the  last-named, 
are  much  the  better  for  being  enriched  and  deeply 
ploughed  or  forked  in  October  or  November. 
This  exposes  the  mould  to  the  sweetening  and 
mechanical  action  of  frost,  and  the  fertilizers  in- 
corporated with  it  are  gradually  transformed  into 
just  that  condition  of  plant  food  which  the  root- 
lets take  up  with  the  greatest  ease  and  rapidity. 
A  light  soil,  on  the  contrary,  should  not  be  worked 
in  autumn,  but  be  left  intact  after  the  crops  are 
taken  from  it. 

In  one  respect  a  light  soil  and  a  stiff,  heavy  one 
should  be  treated  in  the  same  way,  but  for  different 
reasons.  In  the  first  instance,  fertilizers  should  be 
applied  in  moderation  to  the  surface,  and  rains  and 
the  cultivation  of  the  growing  crops  depended  up- 
on to  carry  the  richness  downward  to  the  roots. 
The  porous  nature  of  the  earth  must  ever  be  borne 
in  mind ;  fertilizers  pass  through  it  and  disappear, 
and  therefore  are  applied  to  the  surface  to  delay 
this  process  and  enable  the  roots  to  obtain  as  much 
nutriment  as  possible  during  the  passage.  Equal 


THE   KITCHEN-GARDEN.  197 

and  even  greater  advantages  are  secured  by  a  top- 
dressing  of  barn-yard  manures  and  composts  to 
the  heaviest  of  clay.  The  surface  of  such  soils, 
left  to  Nature,  becomes  in  hot,  dry  weather  like 
pottery,  baking  and  cracking,  shielding  from  dew 
and  shower,  and  preventing  all  circulation  of  air 
about  the  roots.  A  top-dressing  prevents  all  this, 
keeps  the  surface  open  and  mellow,  and  supplies 
not  only  fertility,  but  the  mechanical  conditions 
that  are  essential. 

If  we  are  now  ready  to  begin,  let  us  begin  right. 
I  have  not  much  sympathy  with  finical,  fussy  gar- 
dening. One  of  the  chief  fascinations  of  garden- 
ing is  the  endless  field  it  affords  for  skilful  sleight 
of  hand,  short-cuts,  unconventional  methods,  and 
experiments.  The  true  gardener  soon  ceases  to  be 
a  man  of  rules,  and  becomes  one  of  strategy,  of 
expedients.  He  is  prompt  to  act  at  the  right 
moment.  Like  the  artist,  he  is  ever  seeking  and 
acting  upon  hints  from  Nature.  The  man  of  rules 
says  the  first  of  July  is  the  time  to  set  out  winter 
cabbage;  and  out  the  plants  go,  though  the  sky  be 
brazen,  and  the  mercury  in  the  nineties.  The  gar- 
dener has  his  plants  ready,  and  for  a  few  days 
watches  the  sky.  At  last  he  perceives  that  rain 
is  coming;  then  he  sets  out  his  plants,  and  Na- 
ture's watering  starts  them,  unwilted,  on  their  new 
growth. 


198  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

At  the  same  time  I  protest  against  careless, 
slovenly  gardening, — ground  imperfectly  prepared, 
crooked  rows,  seed  half  covered,  or  covered  so 
deeply  that  the  germs  are  discouraged  long  before 
they  reach  light.  One  of  the  best  aids  to  success 
is  a  small  compost-heap  composed  equally  of  ma- 
nure from  the  horse-stable,  the  cow-stable,  and  of 
leaves.  This  should  be  allowed  to  stand  so  long,  and 
be  cut  down  and  turned  so  often,  that  it  becomes 
like  a  fine  black  powder,  and  is  much  the  better 
for  being  kept  under  shelter  from  sun  and  rain. 

All  who  hope  to  have  a  permanent  garden  will 
naturally  think  first  of  asparagus,  —  one  of  the 
vegetables  that  have  been  longest  in  cultivation, 
and  one  which  is  justly  among  the  most  valued. 
It  was  cultivated  hundreds  of  years  before  the 
Christian  era,  and  is  to-day  growing  in  popular 
esteem  among  civilized  peoples. 

In  the  matter  of  preparation  I  shall  take  issue 
with  many  of  the  authorities.  I  have  read  and 
known  of  instances  wherein  extraordinary  expense 
and  pains  have  been  bestowed  upon  the  asparagus- 
bed.  The  soil  has  been  dug  out  to  the  depth  of 
two  or  more  feet,  the  bottom  paved,  and  the 
homely,  hardy  roots,  accustomed  to  roughing  it 
the  world  over,  set  out  and  tended  with  a  care 
which,  if  given  to  a  potato,  would  make  it  open  its 
eyes.  There  are  few  more  hardy  or  widely  dis- 


THE  KITCHEN-GARDEN.  199 

tributed  species  of  vegetables  than  asparagus.  It 
is  "  a  native  of  the  sea-coasts  of  various  countries 
of  Europe  and  Asia."  According  to  Loudon,  it  is 
abundant  on  the  sandy  steppes  in  the  interior  of 
Russia.  In  Southern  Russia  and  Poland  the  horses 
and  cows  feed  upon  it.  It  grows  freely  in  the  fens 
of  Lincolnshire,  and  is  indigenous  to  Cornwall. 
On  the  borders  of  the  Euphrates  the  shoots  are 
so  extraordinarily  large  and  vigorous  that  Thomp- 
son thinks  it  would  be  to  the  advantage  of  gar- 
deners to  import  roots  from  that  region.  These 
facts  may  indicate  that  too  much  stress  may  have 
been  laid  on  its  character  as  a  marine  plant.  Yet 
it  is  true  that  it  grows  naturally  on  the  coast  of 
Holland,  in  the  sandy  valleys  and  on  the  downs, 
while  off  Lizard  Point  it  flourishes  naturally  on  an 
island  where,  in  gales,  the  sea  breaks  over  the 
roots.  In  this  country  also  it  has  escaped  cultiva- 
tion, and  is  establishing  itself  along  our  coasts. 
The  truth  is  that  it  is  a  plant  endowed  with  a  re- 
markable power  of  adaptation  to  all  soils  and  cli- 
mates, and  does  not  need  the  extravagant  petting 
often  given  it.  On  different  portions  of  my  place 
chance  seeds  have  fallen,  and  annually  produce 
almost  as  fine  heads  as  are  cut  from  the  garden. 
Nature  therefore  teaches  what  experience  verifies, 
—  that  asparagus  is  one  of  the  most  easily  grown 
and  inexpensive  vegetables  of  the  garden.  From 


2OO  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

two  small  beds  we  have  raised  during  the  past  eight 
years  twice  as  much  as  we  could  use,  and  at  the 
cost  of  very  little  trouble  either  in  planting  or 
cultivation. 

In  my  effort  to  show,  from  the  hardy  nature  of 
the  asparagus  plant,  that  extravagant  preparation 
is  unnecessary,  let  no  one  conclude  that  I  am  op- 
posed to  a  good,  thorough  preparation  that  accords 
with  common-sense.  It  is  not  for  one  year's  crop 
that  you  are  preparing,  but  for  a  vegetable  that 
should  be  productive  on  the  same  ground  thirty  or 
forty  years.  What  I  said  of  strawberries  applies 
here.  A  fair  yield  of  fruit  may  be  expected  from 
plants  set  out  on  ordinary  corn-ground,  but  more 
than  double  the  crop  would  be  secured  from 
ground  generously  prepared. 

When  I  first  came  to  Cornwall,  about  twelve 
years  ago,  I  determined  to  have  an  asparagus  bed 
as  soon  as  possible.  I  selected  a  plot  eighty  feet 
long  by  thirty  wide,  of  sandy  loam,  sloping  to 
the  southwest.  It  had  been  used  as  a  garden 
before,  but  was  greatly  impoverished.  I  gave  it 
a  good  top-dressing  of  barn-yard  manure  in  the 
autumn,  and  ploughed  it  deeply;  another  top- 
dressing  of  fine  yard  manure  and  a  deep  forking 
in  the  early  spring.  Then,  raking  the  surface 
smooth,  I  set  a  line  along  its  length  on  one  side. 
A  man  took  a  spade,  sunk  its  length  in  the  soil, 


THE  KITCHEN-GARDEN.  2OI 

and  pushed  it  forward  strongly.  This  action  made 
an  almost  perpendicular  wedge-shaped  aperture 
just  back  of  the  spade.  The  asparagus  plant,  with 
its  roots  spread  out  fan-shape,  was  sunk  in  this 
opening  to  a  depth  that  left  the  crown  of  the  plant 
between  three  and  four  inches  below  the  surface. 
Then  the  spade  was  drawn  out,  and  the  soil  left  to 
fall  over  the  crown  of  the  plant.  Rapidly  repeat- 
ing this  simple  process,  the  whole  plot  was  soon 
set  out.  The  entire  bed  was  then  raked  smooth. 
The  rows  were  three  feet  apart,  and  plants  one  foot 
apart  in  the  row.  A  similar  plot  could  scarcely 
have  been  planted  with  potatoes  more  quickly  or 
at  less  expense,  and  a  good  crop  of  potatoes  could 
not  have  been  raised  on  that  poor  land  with  less 
preparation.  A  few  years  later  I  made  another 
and  smaller  bed  in  the  same  way.  The  results 
have  been  entirely  satisfactory.  I  secured  my 
object,  and  had  plenty  of  asparagus  at  slight  cost, 
and  have  also  sold  and  given  away  large  quantities. 
A  bit  of  experience  is  often  worth  much  more  than 
theory. 

At  the  same  time  it  is  proper  that  some  sugges- 
tions should  follow  this  brief  record.  The  aspara- 
gus bed.  should  be  in  well-drained  soil;  for  while 
the  plant  will  grow  on  wet  land,  it  will  start  late, 
and  our  aim  is  to  have  it  early. 

Again,  with  asparagus  as  with  nearly  everything 


202  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

else,  the  deeper  and  richer  the  soil,  the  larger  and 
more  luxuriant  the  crop.  Listen  to  Thompson, 
the  great  English  gardener:  "  If  the  ground  has 
been  drained,  trenched,  or  made  good  to  the  depth 
of  three  feet,  as  directed  for  the  kitchen-garden 
generally  [  !],  that  depth  will  suffice  for  the  growth 
of  asparagus."  We  should  think  so ;  yet  I  am  fast 
reaching  the  conclusion  that  under  most  circum- 
stances it  would  in  the  end  repay  us  to  secure  that 
depth  of  rich  soil  throughout  our  gardens,  not  only 
for  asparagus,  but  for  everything  else.  Few  of 
the  hasty,  slipshod  gardeners  of  America  have  any 
idea  of  the  results  secured  by  extending  root  pas- 
turage to  the  depth  of  three  feet  instead  of  six  or 
seven  inches ;  soil  thus  prepared  would  defy  flood 
and  drought,  and  everything  planted  therein  would 
attain  almost  perfection,  asparagus  included.  But 
who  has  not  seen  little  gardens  by  the  road-side  in 
which  all  the  esculents  seemed  growing  together 
much  as  they  would  be  blended  in  the  pot  there- 
after? Yet  from  such  patches,  half  snatched  from 
barrenness,  many  a  hearty,  wholesome  dinner  re- 
sults. Let  us  have  a  garden  at  once,  then  improve 
it  indefinitely. 

I  will  give  in  brief  just  what  is  essential  to  secure 
a  good  and  lasting  asparagus  bed.  We  can  if  we 
choose  grow  our  own  plants,  and  thus  be  sure  of 
good  ones.  The  seed  can  be  sown  in  late  October 


THE  KITCHEN-GARDEN.  2O3 

or  early  spring  on  light,  rich  soil  in  rows  eighteen 
inches  apart.  An  ounce  of  seed  will  sow  fifty 
feet  of  drill.  If  the  soil  is  light,  cover  the  seed  one 
inch  deep ;  if  heavy,  half  an  inch ;  pack  the  ground 
lightly,  and  cover  the  drill  with  a  good  dusting  of 
that  fine  compost  we  spoke  of,  or  any  fine  manure. 
This  gives  the  young  plants  a  good  send-off.  By 
the  use  of  the  hoe  and  hand-weeding  keep  them 
scrupulously  clean  during  the  growing  season,  and 
when  the  tops  are  killed  by  frost  mow  them  off. 
I  should  advise  sowing  two  or  three  seeds  to  the 
inch,  and  then  when  the  plants  are  three  inches 
high,  thinning  them  out  so  that  they  stand  four 
inches  apart.  You  thus  insure  almost  the  cer- 
tainty of  good  strong  plants  by  autumn ;  for  plants 
raised  as  directed  are  ready  to  be  set  out  after 
one  season's  growth,  and  by  most  gardeners  are 
preferred. 

In  most  instances  good  plants  can  be  bought  for 
a  small  sum  from  nurserymen,  who  usually  offer 
for  sale  those  that  are  two  years  old.  Strong  one- 
year-olds  are  just  as  good,  but  under  ordinary  cul- 
ture are  rarely  large  enough  until  two  years  of  age. 
I  would  not  set  out  three-year-old  plants,  for  they 
are  apt  to  be  stunted  and  enfeebled.  You  can 
easily  calculate  how  many  plants  you  require  by 
rembering  that  the  rows  are  to  be  three  feet  apart, 
and  the  plants  one  foot  apart  in  the  row. 


2O4  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

Now,  whether  you  have  raised  the  plants  your- 
self, or  have  bought  them,  you  are  ready  to  put 
them  where  they  will  grow,  and  yield  to  the  end 
of  your  life  probably.  Again  I  substantiate  my 
position  by  quoting  from  the  well-known  gardener 
and  writer,  Mr.  Joseph  Harris :  "  The  old  direc- 
tions for  planting  an  asparagus  bed  were  well  cal- 
culated to  deter  any  one  from  making  the  attempt. 
I  can  recollect  the  first  I  made.  The  labor  and 
manure  must  have  cost  at  the  rate  of  a  thousand 
dollars  an  acre,  and,  after  all  was  done,  no  better 
results  were  obtained  than  we  now  secure  at  one 
tenth  of  the  expense." 

If  the  ground  selected  for  the  bed  is  a  well- 
drained  sandy  loam,  is  clean,  free  from  sod,  roots, 
stones,  etc.,  I  would  give  it  a  top-dressing  of  six 
inches  of  good  barn-yard  manure,  which  by  trench- 
ing or  ploughing  I  would  thoroughly  mix  with  the 
soil  to  the  depth  of  at  least  two  feet.  If  the  ground 
is  not  free  from  stones,  roots,  and  sod,  I  should  put 
on  the  manure,  as  directed,  in  the  autumn,  and  be- 
gin on  one  side  of  the  prospective  bed  and  trench 
it  all  over,  mingling  the  fertilizer  through  the  soil. 
The  trencher  can  throw  out  on  the  surface  back  of 
him  every  stone,  root,  and  weed,  so  that  by  the 
time  he  is  through  there  is  a  sufficient  space  of 
ground  amply  prepared. 

On  all  soils  except  a  wet,  heavy  clay  I  prefer 


THE  KITCHEN-GARDEN. 

autumn  planting.  During  the  latter  part  of  Octo- 
ber or  early  November  put  in  the  plants  as  ex- 
plained above,  or  else  make  a  straight  trench  that 
will  give  room  for  the  spreading  of  the  roots,  and 
leave  the  crowns  between  three  and  four  inches 
below  the  surface.  Then  level  the  ground,  and 
cover  the  row  with  a  light  mulch  of  stable-manure 
as  you  would  strawberries.  If  more  convenient  to 
set  out  the.  plants  in  spring,  do  so  as  soon  as  the 
ground  is  dry  enough  to  crumble  freely  when 
worked.  In  the  spring  rake  off  the  mulch,  and  as 
early  as  possible  fork  the  ground  over  lightly,  tak- 
ing pains  not  to  touch  or  wound  the  crowns  of  the 
plants.  The  young,  slender  shoots  will  soon  ap- 
pear, and  slender  enough  they  will  be  at  first. 
Keep  them  free  of  weeds  and  let  them  grow  uncut 
all  through  the  first  year ;  mow  off  the  tops  in  late 
October,  and  cover  the  entire  bed  with  three  or 
four  inches  of  coarse  barn-yard  manure.  In  spring 
rake  off  the  coarsest  of  this  mulch,  from  which  the 
rains  and  melting  snows  have  been  carrying  down 
richness,  dig  the  bed  over  lightly  once  (never 
wounding  the  roots  or  crowns  of  the  plants),  and 
then  sow  salt  over  the  bed  till  it  is  barely  white. 
Let  the  tops  grow  naturally  and  uncut  the  second 
year,  and  merely  keep  clean.  Take  precisely  the 
same  action  again  in  the  autumn  and  the  following 
spring.  During  the  latter  part  of  April  and  May 


206  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

a  few  of  the  strongest  shoots  may  be  cut  for  the 
table.  This  should  be  done  with  a  sharp  knife  a 
little  below  the  surface,  so  that  the  soil  may  heal 
the  wound,  and  carefully,  lest  other  heads  just 
beneath  the  surface  be  clipped  prematurely. 
Cut  from  the  bed  very  sparingly,  however,  the 
third  year,  and  let  vigorous  foliage  form  corres- 
ponding root-power.  In  the  autumn  of  the  third 
and  the  spring  of  the  fourth  year  the  treatment  is 
precisely  the  same.  In  the  fourth  season,  how- 
ever, the  shoots  may  be  used  freely  to,  say,  about 
June  20,  after  which  the  plants  should  be  permitted 
to  grow  unchecked  till  fall,  in  order  to  maintain 
and  increase  the  root-power.  Every  year  there- 
after there  should  be  an  abundant  top-dressing  of 
manure  in  the  fall,  and  a  careful  digging  of  the 
ground  in  the  early  spring. 

Light,  sandy  soil,  clear  of  stones,  is  well  adapted 
to  asparagus,  but  should  be  treated  on  the  prin- 
ciples already  indicated  in  this  work.  There 
should  be  no  attempt,  by  trenching,  to  render  a 
porous  subsoil  more  leaky.  It  is  useless  to  give 
the  bed  a  thorough  initial  enriching.  Put  on  a 
generous  top-dressing  every  autumn  and  leave  the 
rains  to  do  their  work,  and  good  crops  will  result. 

If,  on  the  contrary,  a  cold,  heavy  clay  must  be 
dealt  with,  every  effort  should  be  made  to  amelio- 
rate it.  Work  in  a  large  quantity  of  sand  at  first, 


THE  KITCHEN-GARDEN.  2O/ 

if  possible ;  employ  manures  from  the  horse-stable, 
or  other  light  and  exciting  fertilizers,  and  there 
will  be  no  failure. 

In  regard  to  the  use  of  salt,  Mr.  Harris  writes : 
"  It  is  a  popular  notion  that  common  salt  is  ex- 
ceedingly beneficial  to  asparagus.  I  do  not  know 
that  there  is  any  positive  proof  of  this,  but,  at  any 
rate,  salt  will  do  no  harm,  even  if  applied  thick 
enough  to  kill  many  of  our  common  weeds.  Salt 
is  usually  sown  broadcast,  at  the  rate  of  ten  bushels 
to  the  acre." 

Until  recently  I  have  grown  asparagus  without 
salt.  Hereafter  I  shall  employ  it  in  sufficient  de- 
gree to  kill  all  weeds  except  the  strongest.  I  shall 
sow  it  every  spring  after  the  bed  is  dug  until  the 
ground  is  as  white  as  if  a  flurry  of  snow  had  passed 
over  it.  I  think  salt  is  a  good  manure  for  aspara- 
gus, and  many  other  things.  At  any  rate,  we 
secure  a  great  advantage  in  keeping  our  beds  free 
of  weeds. 

I  have  written  thus  fully  of  asparagus  because 
when  a  man  makes  a  bed  as  directed  he  makes  it 
for  a  lifetime.  He  can  scarcely  find  another  in- 
vestment that  will  yield  a  larger  return.  We  have 
asparagus  on  our  table  every  day,  from  the  middle 
of  April  to  July  I ;  and  the  annual  care  of  the  crop 
is  far  less  than  that  of  a  cabbage-patch.  I  do  not 
advise  severe  cutting,  however,  after  the  middle  of 


208  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

June,  for  this  reason :  it  is  well  known  that  the 
most  pestiferous  perennial  weed  can  be  killed  ut- 
terly if  never  allowed  to  make  foliage.  As  foliage 
depends  upon  the  root,  so  the  root  depends  on 
foliage.  The  roots  of  asparagus  may  therefore  be 
greatly  enfeebled  by  too  severe  and  long-contin- 
ued cutting.  Avarice  always  overreaches  itself. 

In  some  localities  the  asparagus  beetle  destroys 
whole  plantations.  Thompson,  the  English  au- 
thority, says :  "  The  larvae,  beetles,  and  eggs  are 
found  from  June  to  the  end  of  September.  Pick- 
ing off  the  larvae  and  beetles,  or  shaking  them  into 
receptacles,  appears  to  be  the  only  remedy." 

Peter  Henderson,  in  his  valuable  book,  "  Garden- 
ing for  Profit,"  figures  this  insect  and  its  larvae  ac- 
curately, and  says :  "  Whenever  the  eggs  or  larvae 
appear,  cut  and  burn  the  plants  as  long  as  any 
traces  of  the  insect  are  seen.  This  must  be  done 
if  it  destroys  every  vestige  of  vegetation."  He 
and  other  authorities  speak  of  the  advantage  of 
cooping  a  hen  and  chickens  in  the  bed.  Most  em- 
phatically would  I  recommend  this  latter  course, 
for  I  have  tried  it  with  various  vegetables.  Active 
broods  of  little  chickens  here  and  there  in  the 
garden  are  the  best  of  insecticides,  and  pay  for 
themselves  twice  over  in  this  service  alone. 

We  will  next  speak  of  the  onion,  because  it  is 
so  hardy  that  the  earlier  it  is  planted  in  spring  the 


THE  KITCHEN-GARDEN.  2OQ 

better.  Indeed,  I  have  often,  with  great  advan- 
tage, sown  the  seed  on  light  soils  the  first  of  Sep- 
tember, and  wintered  over  the  young  plants  in 
the  open  ground.  Nature  evidently  intended  the 
onion  for  humanity  in  general,  for  she  has  en- 
dowed the  plant  with  the  power  to  flourish  from 
the  tropics  to  the  coldest  limit  of  the  temperate 
zone. 

While  onions  are  grown  in  all  sorts  of  careless 
ways,  like  other  vegetables,  it  is  by  far  the  best 
plan  to  select  a  space  for  an  annual  and  perma- 
nent bed,  just  as  we  do  for  asparagus.  Unlike 
most  other  crops,  the  onion  does  not  require 
change  of  ground,  but  usually  does  better  on  the 
same  soil  for  an  indefinite  number  of  years. 
Therefore  I  would  advise  that  upon  the  Home 
Acre  the  onion,  like  the  asparagus  bed,  should  be 
made  with  a  view  to  permanence. 

Not  much  success  can  be  hoped  for  on  rough, 
poor  land.  The  onion,  like  the  asparagus  bed, 
should  be  made  and  maintained  with  some  care. 
If  possible,  select  a  light;  well-drained,  but  not 
dry  plot.  Make  the  soil  rich,  deep,  mellow,  to 
the  depth  of  twenty  inches,  taking  out  all  stones, 
roots,  etc. ;  cover  the  land  with  at  least  six  inches 
of  good  strong  barn-yard  manure.  This  should 
be  done  in  the  autumn.  Sow  the  ground  white 
with  salt,  as  in  the  case  of  asparagus,  and  then 

14 


2IO  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

mingle  these  fertilizers  thoroughly  with  the  soil, 
by  forking  or  ploughing  it  at  once,  leaving  the 
surface  as  rough  as  possible,  so  that  the  frost  can 
penetrate  deeply.  Just  as  soon  as  the  ground  is 
dry  enough  to  work  in  the  spring,  fork  or  plough 
again,  breaking  every  lump  and  raking  all  smooth, 
so  that  the  surface  is  as  fine  as  the  soil  in  a  hot- 
bed. You  cannot  hope  for  much  in  heavy,  lumpy 
ground.  Sow  at  least  three  seeds  to  the  inch  in 
a  shallow  drill  one  inch  deep,  and  spat  the  earth 
firmly  over  the  seed  with  the  back  of  a  spade 
or  with  your  hand.  In  subsequent  culture  little 
more  is  required  than  keeping  the  mere  surface 
stirred  with  a  hoe,  and  the  rows  clean  of  weeds. 
Onions  are  not  benefited  by  deep  stirring  of  the 
soil,  but  the  surface,  from  the  start,  should  be 
kept  clean  and  scarified  an  inch  or  two  deep 
between  the  rows  during  the  growing  season.  I 
prefer  to  have  my  onions  growing  at  the  rate  of 
one  or  two  to  every  inch  of  row,  for  I  do  not  like 
large  bulbs.  I  think  that  moderate-sized  onions 
are  better  for  the  table.  Those  who  value  large- 
ness should  thin  out  the  plants  to  three  or  four 
inches  apart ;  but  even  in  the  market  there  is  less 
demand  for  large,  coarse  onions.  When  the  tops 
begin  to  fall  over  from  their  own  weighty  in  Au- 
gust or  September,  leave  them  to  mature  and 
ripen  naturally.  When  the  tops  begin  to  dry  up, 


THE  KITCHEN-GARDEN.  211 

pull  them  from  the  soil,  let  them  dry  thoroughly 
in  the  sun,  and  then  spread  them  thinly  in  a  dry 
loft  till  there  is  danger  of  their  freezing.  Even 
there  they  will  keep  better,  if  covered  deeply  with 
straw,  hay,  etc.,  than  in  a  damp  cellar.  Wherever 
the  air  is  damp  and  a  little  too  warm,  onions  will 
speedily  start  to  grow  again,  and  soon  become 
worthless.  After  the  crop  has  been  taken,  the 
ground  should  be  treated  as  at  first,  —  thoroughly 
enriched  and  pulverized  late  in  autumn,  and  left 
to  lie  in  a  rough  state  during  the  winter,  then  pre- 
pared for  planting  as  early  as  possible.  I  pre- 
fer March  sowing  of  the  seed  to  April,  and  April, 
by  far,  to  May.  In  England  they  try  to  plant  in 
February.  Indeed,  as  I  have  said,  I  have  had  ex- 
cellent success  by  sowing  the  seed  early  in  Sep- 
tember on  light  soils,  and  letting  the  plants  grow 
during  all  the  mild  days  of  fall,  winter,  and  early 
spring.  By  this  course  we  have  onions  fit  for  the 
table  and  market  the  following  May.  In  this  lati- 
tude they  need  the  protection  of  a  little  coarse 
litter  from  December  I  to  about  the  middle  of 
March.  Only  the  very  severest  frost  injures  them. 
Most  of  us  have  seen  onions,  overlooked  in  the 
fall  gathering,  growing  vigorously  as  soon  as  the 
thaws  began  in  spring.  This  fact  contains  all  the 
hint  we  need  in  wintering  over  the  vegetable  in  the 
open  ground.  If  the  seed  is  sown  late  in  Septem- 


212  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

ber,  the  plants  do  not  usually  acquire  sufficient 
strength  in  this  latitude  to.  resist  the  frost.  It  is 
necessary,  therefore,  to  secure  our  main  crop  by 
very  early  spring  sowings,  and  it  may  be  said  here 
that  after  the  second  thorough  pulverization  of  the 
soil  in  spring,  the  ground  will  be  in  such  good 
condition  that,  if  well  enriched  and  stirred  late  in 
autumn,  it  will  only  need  levelling  down  and 
smoothing  off  before  the  spring  sowing.  Onions 
appear  to  do  best  on  a  compact  soil,  if  rich,  deep, 
and  clean.  It  is  the  surface  merely  that  needs  to 
be  stirred  lightly  and  frequently. 

If  young  green  onions  with  thin,  succulent  tops 
are  desired  very  early  in  spring,  it  will  be  an  in- 
teresting experiment  to  sow  the  seed  the  latter 
part  of  August  or  early  in  September.  Another 
method  is  to  leave  a  row  of  onions  in  the  gar- 
den where  they  ripened.  When  the  autumn  rains 
begin,  they  will  start  to  grow  again.  The  winter 
will  not  harm  them,  and  even  in  April  there  will 
be  a  strong  growth  of  green  tops.  The  seed  stalk 
should  be  picked  off  as  soon  as  it  appears  in 
spring,  or  else  the  whole  strength  will  speedily  go 
to  the  formation  of  seed. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  good  onions  can- 
not be  produced  very  far  to  the  south  by  sowing 
the  small  gunpowder-like  seed.  In  our  own  and 
especially  in  warmer  climates  a  great  advantage  is 


THE  KITCHEN-GARDEN.  213 

secured  by  employing  what  are  known  as  "  onion 
sets."  These  are  produced  by  sowing  the  ordi- 
nary black  seed  very  thickly  on  light  poor  land- 
Being  much  crowded,  and  not  having  much  nutri- 
ment, the  seed  develop  into  little  onions  from  the 
size  of  a  pea  to  that  of  a  walnut,  the  smaller  the 
better,  if  they  are  solid  and  plump.  These, 
pressed  or  sunk,  about  three  inches  apart,  into 
rich  garden  soil  about  an  inch  deep,  just  as  soon 
as  the  frost  is  out,  make  fine  bulbs  by  the  middle 
of  June.  For  instance,  we  had  in  our  garden 
plenty  of  onions  three  inches  in  diameter  from 
these  little  sets,  while  the  seed,  sown  at  the  same 
time,  will  not  yield  good  bulbs  before  August. 
There  is  but  little  need  of  raising  these  sets,  for  it 
is  rather  difficult  to  keep  them  in  good  condition 
over  the  winter.  Any  seedsman  will  furnish  them, 
and  they  are  usually  on  sale  at  country  stores. 
Three  or  four  quarts,  if  in  good  condition,  will 
supply  a  family  abundantly,  and  leave  many  to  be 
used  dry  during  the  autumn.  Insist  on  plump 
little  bulbs.  If  you  plant  them  early,  as  you 
should,  you  will  be  more  apt  to  get  good  sets. 
Many  neglect  the  planting  till  the  sets  are  half 
dried  up,  or  so  badly  sprouted  as  to  be  wellnigh 
worthless.  They  usually  come  in  the  form  of 
white  and  yellow  sets,  and  I  plant  an  equal 
number  of  each. 


214  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

The  chief  insect  enemies  are  onion  maggots,  the 
larvae  of  the  onion  fly.  These  bore  through  the 
outer  leaf  and  down  into  the  bulb,  which  they 
soon  destroy.  I  know  of  no  remedy  but  to  pull 
up  the  yellow  and  sickly  plants,  and  burn  them  and 
the  pests  together.  The  free  use  of  salt  in  the 
fall,  and  a  light  top-dressing  of  wood-ashes  at  the 
time  of  planting,  tend  to  subdue  these  insects ;  but 
the  best  course  is  prevention  by  deeply  cultivat- 
ing and  thoroughly  enriching  in  the  fall,  leaving 
the  ground  rough  and  uneven  for  the  deep  action 
of  frost,  and  by  sowing  the  seed  very  early  in 
spring.  I  have  found  that  the  insect  usually 
attacks  late-sown  and  feeble  plants.  If  the  mag- 
got were  in  my  garden,  I  should  use  the  little 
sets  only. 

Some  special  manures  have  been  employed  in 
attaining  the  greatest  success  with  this  vegetable. 
In  England,  pigeon-dung  and  the  cleanings  of  the 
pigsty  are  extensively  employed.  In  this  country 
the  sweepings  of  the  hen-roost  are  generally  re- 
commended. It  should  be  remembered  that  all 
these  are  strong  agents,  and  if  brought  in  contact 
with  the  roots  of  any  vegetable  while  in  a  crude, 
undiluted  state,  burn  like  fire,  especially  in  our 
climate.  What  can  be  done  in  safety  in  England 
will  not  answer  under  our  vivid  sun  and  in  our  fre- 
quent droughts.  These  strong  fertilizers  could  be 


THE  KITCHEN-GARDEN.  21$ 

doubled  in  value  as  well  as  bulk  by  being  com- 
posted with  sods,  leaves,  etc.,  and  then,  after  hav- 
ing been  mixed,  allowed  to  decay  thoroughly. 
Then  the  compost  can  be  used  with  great  advan- 
tage as  a  top-dressing  directly  over  the  drills  when 
either  sets  or  seeds  are  planted.  The  spring  rains 
will  carry  the  richness  from  the  surface  to  the 
roots,  and  insure  a  very  vigorous  growth.  When 
the  compost  named  in  the  early  part  of  this  paper 
is  used,  I  sow  it  thickly  in  the  drill,  draw  a  pointed 
hoe  through  once  more,  to  mingle  the  fertilizer  with 
the  soil,  and  then  forthwith  sow  the  seeds  or  put 
in  the  sets  one  inch  deep ;  and  the  result  is  imme- 
diate and  vigorous  growth.  Wood-ashes  and  bone- 
dust  are  excellent  fertilizers,  and  should  be  sown 
on  the  surface  on  the  row  as  soon  as  planted,  and 
gradually  worked  in  by  weeding  and  cultivation 
during  the  growing  season.  Manure  from  the  pig- 
sty, wherein  weeds,  litter,  sods,  muck,  etc.,  have 
been  thrown  freely  during  the  summer,  may  be 
spread  broadcast  over  the  onion  bed  in  the  au- 
tumn, and  worked  in  deeply,  like  the  product  of 
the  barnyard.  The  onion  bed  can  scarcely  be 
made  too  rich  as  long  as  the  manure  is  not  ap- 
plied in  its  crude,  unfermented  state  at  the  time  of 
planting.  Then,  if  the  seed  is  put  in  very  early, 
it  grows  too  strongly  and  quickly  for  insects  to 
do  much  damage. 


216  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

Varieties.  —  Thompson  in  his  English  work 
names  nineteen  varieties  with  many  synonyms; 
Henderson  offers  the  seed  of  thirteen  varieties; 
Gregory,  of  seventeen  kinds.  There  is  no  need  of 
our  being  confused  by  this  latitude  of  choice.  We 
find  it  in  the  great  majority  of  fruits  and  vegeta- 
bles offered  by  nurserymen  and  seedsmen.  Each 
of  the  old  varieties  that  have  survived  the  test  of 
years  has  certain  good  qualities  which  make  it 
valuable,  especially  in  certain  localities.  Many  of 
the  novelties  in  vegetables,  as  among  fruits,  will 
soon  disappear ;  a  few  will  take  their  place  among 
the  standard  sorts.  In  the  case  of  the  kitchen,  as 
well  as  in  the  fruit  garden,  I  shall  give  the  opinion 
of  men  who  have  a  celebrity  as  wide  as  the  con- 
tinent for  actual  experience,  and  modestly  add 
occasionally  some  views  of  my  own  which  are  the 
result  of  observation. 

As  a  choice  for  the  home  garden,  Mr.  Peter  re- 
commends the  following  varieties  of  onions :  Extra 
Early  Red,  Yellow  Globe  Danvers,  White  Portugal 
or  Silver  Skin,  and  Southport  Yellow  Globe.  Mr. 
Joseph  Harris,  the  well-known  and  practical  au- 
thor: Yellow  Danvers,  Extra  Early  Large  Red, 
and  White  Globe.  Mr.  J.  J.  H.  Gregory:  New 
Queen,  Early  Yellow  Acker,  Yellow  Danvers, 
Early  Red  Globe  Danvers,  Large  Red  Wethers- 
field.  They  all  recommend  onion  sets.  The  Queen 


THE  KITCHEN-GARDEN.  217 

onion  is  quite  distinct.  For  the  home  table,  where 
earliness,  as  well  as  quality,  size,  and  quantity  is 
desired,  I  think  the  Queen  deserves  a  place.  It 
is  admirably  fitted  for  pickling.  I  have  tried 
all  the  varieties  named,  with  good  success,  and 
grown  some  of  the  largest  kinds  to  six  inches  in 
diameter. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  KITCHEN-GARDEN  (CONCLUDED). 

IN  the  last  chapter  I  dwelt  somewhat  at  length 
on  two  vegetables  for  which  thorough  and 
enduring  preparation  is  profitable.  There  is  one 
other  very  early  garden  product  which  requires 
our  attention  during  the  first  warm  days  of  spring, 
—  rhubarb;  sold  in  some  instances  under  the  name 
of  "wine-plant."  Wine  is  made  from  the  juicy 
stalks,  but  it  is  an  unwholesome  beverage.  The 
people  call  rhubarb  "  pie-plant ;"  and  this  term 
suggests  its  best  and  most  common  use,  although 
when  cooked  as  if  it  were  a  fruit,  it  is  very  grateful 
at  a  season  when  we  begin  to  crave  the  subacid 
in  our  food. 

Its  cultivation  is  very  simple.  Those  who  pro- 
pose to  produce  it  largely  for  market  will  find  it  to 
their  advantage  to  raise  this  plant  from  the  seed ; 
but  for  the  Home  Acre  enough  plants  can  be  pro- 
cured, at  a  moderate  cost,  from  almost  any  nursery- 
man. In  this  instance,  also,  thorough  preparation 
of  the  soil  is  essential,  for  the  rhubarb  bed,  under 
good  care,  will  last  eight  or  ten  years.  A  rich, 


22O  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

deep,  clean,  warm  soil  is  the  chief  essential.  It 
belongs  to  that  class  of  vegetables  known  as  "gross 
feeders."  During  the  first  year,  however,  I  would 
apply  the  fertilizer  directly  to  the  hills  or  plants. 
These  are  obtained  by  dividing  the  old  roots,  which 
may  be  cut  to  pieces  downward  so  as  to  leave  a 
single  bud  or  "  eye  "  surmounting  a  long  tapering 
portion  of  root.  Each  division  will  make  a  new, 
vigorous  plant,  which  should  be  set  out  so  that  the 
bud  or  crown  is  three  inches  below  the  surface  in 
light  soils,  and  two  inches  in  heavy  soils.  The 
plants  should  be  four  feet  apart  each  way,  and  two 
or  three  shovelfuls  of  rich  compost  worked  into 
the  soil  where  the  plant  is  to  stand.  You  cannot 
make  the  ground  too  rich ;  only  remember  that  in 
this,  as  in  all  other  instances,  light,  fermenting  ma- 
nures should  not  be  brought  into  immediate  contact 
with  the  roots.  Plant  in  either  autumn  or  spring. 
In  this  latitude  and  southward  I  should  prefer 
autumn;  northward,  perhaps  spring  is  the  best 
season.  Keep  the  intervening  ground  clean  and 
mellow,  and  pull  no  stalks  the  first  year,  unless  it 
be  in  the  autumn  if  the  plants  have  become  very 
strong.  In  the  fall,  when  the  foliage  has  died 
down,  cover  the  crowns  with  two  or  three  shovel- 
fuls of  rich  manure,  —  any  kind  will  do  in  this 
instance,  —  and  work  in  a  heavy  top-dressing  all 
over  the  ground  early  in  spring.  Unless  seed  is 


THE  KITCHEN-GARDEN. 

required,  always  cut  down  the  seed-stalks  as  soon 
as  they  appear.  The  best  early  variety  is  the 
Linnaeus.  The  Victoria  is  a  little  later,  but  much 
larger,  and  is  the  kind  that  I  have  usually  grown. 

Radish-seed  may  be  sown  one  inch  deep  as  soon 
as  the  ground  is  dry  enough  in  spring,  and  if  the 
vegetable  is  a  favorite,  the  sowing  may  be  repeated 
every  two  weeks.  A  common  error  is  to  sow  the 
seed  too  thickly.  A  warm,  rich  soil  is  all  that  is 
necessary  to  secure  a  crop. 

What  has  been  said  about  radishes  applies 
equally  to  early  turnips,  with  the  exception  that 
the  plants  when  three  inches  high  should  be 
thinned  so  as  to  stand  four  inches  apart.  The 
ground  for  these  vegetables  should  be  very  rich, 
so  as  to  secure  a  very  rapid  growth ;  for  otherwise 
they  are  attacked  by  a  little  white  worm  which 
soon  renders  them  unfit  for  use.  Mr.  Harris  recom- 
mends the  following  varieties  of  early  radishes,  and 
his  selection  coincides  with  my  own  experience : 
Round  Scarlet  Turnip,  French  Breakfast,  Rose 
(olive-shaped),  Long  Scarlet  Short-top.  Winter 
radishes:  California  Mammoth  White,  and  Chi- 
nese Rose.  For  spring  sowing  of  turnips,  Mr. 
Henderson  recommends  Red-top  Strap-leaf,  and 
Early  Flat  Dutch.  The  earlier  they  are  sown  the 
better. 

Beets  —  a    much    more    valuable   vegetable  — 


222  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

require  similar  treatment.  The  ground  should  be 
clean,  well  pulverized,  and  very  rich.  I  prefer  to 
sow  the  seed  the  first  week  in  April,  unless  the  soil 
is  frozen,  or  very  cold  and  wet.  The  seed  may  be 
sown,  however,  at  any  time  to  the  first  of  July ;  but 
earliness  is  usually  our  chief  aim.  I  sow  two  inches 
deep  and  thickly,  pressing  the  soil  firmly  over  the 
seed.  Let  the  rows  be  about  fifteen  inches  apart. 
Referring  to  the  manure  which  had  been  left  to  de- 
cay in  a  sheltered  place  until  it  became  like  fine 
dry  powder,  let  me  say  here  that  I  have  always 
found  it  of  greater  advantage  to  sow  it  with  the 
beet-seed  and  kindred  vegetables.  My  method  is 
to  open  the  drill  along  the  garden-line  with  a  sharp- 
pointed  hoe,  and  scatter  the  fertilizer  in  the  drill 
until  the  soil  is  quite  blackened  by  it;  then  draw 
the  pointed  hoe  through  once  more,  to  mingle  the 
powdery  manure  with  the  soil  and  to  make  the 
drill  of  an  even  depth ;  then  sow  the  seed  at  once. 
This  thoroughly  decayed  stable-manure  has  be- 
come the  best  of  plant-food ;  it  warms  the  ground, 
and  carries  the  germinating  seed  and  young  plants 
with  vigor  through  the  first  cold,  wet  weeks. 

In  the  home  garden  there  are  several  reasons  for 
sowing  beet-seed  thickly.  Unfavorable  weather 
and  insects  will  be  less  apt  to  cause  a  thin,  broken 
stand  of  plants.  In  order  to  produce  good  roots, 
however,  the  plants  should  be  thinned  out  so  as  to 


THE  KITCHEN-GARDEN.  223 

stand  eventually  three  or  four  inches  apart.  I  do 
not  advise  very  large,  coarse  roots  for  the  table. 
For  home  use  I  think  only  three  varieties  are  es- 
sential. The  Egyptian  Turnip  Beet  is  the  best 
very  early  variety,  and  can  be  planted  closely,  as 
it  has  a  small  top ;  the  Bassano  is  next  in  earliness, 
and  requires  more  room ;  the  Early  Blood  Turnip 
is  the  best  for  a  general  crop  and  winter  use.  The 
beet  is  a  root  which  deteriorates  rapidly  from  age ; 
I  therefore  advise  that  the  seed  of  the  winter  sup- 
ply be  sown  the  last  of  June  or  first  of  July  in  our 
latitude. 

Parsnips  should  be  sown  at  the  same  time  with 
early  beets  and  in  the  same  way,  with  the  excep- 
tion that  the  seed  should  be  covered  only  an  inch 
deep.  I  doubt  whether  there  are  any  marked  dis- 
tinctions in  variety,  and  would  advise  that  only  the 
Long  Smooth  or  Hollow-crowned  be  sown. 

The  carrot  is  not  quite  so  hardy  as  the  parsnip, 
and  the  seed  may  be  sown  a  week  or  two  later,  or 
indeed  at  any  time  up  to  the  middle  of  June.  Its 
culture  and  treatment  are  precisely  like  those  of 
the  parsnip ;  but  the  roots  should  be  gathered  and 
stored  before  a  severe  frost  occurs.  For  home  use 
a  short  row  of  the  Early  Horn  will  answer ;  for  the 
general  crop,  sow  the  Long  Orange. 

Vegetable-oyster,  or  salsify,  is  another  root-crop 
which  may  be  treated  precisely  like  the  parsnip, 


224  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

and  the  seed  sown  at  the  same  time.  The  seed 
should  be  sown  in  a  deep,  rich,  mellow  soil,  which 
is  all  the  better  for  being  prepared  in  autumn. 
Plant,  as  early  in  April  as  possible,  in  the  same 
manner  as  described  for  beets,  thin  out  to  four 
inches  apart,  and  keep  the  soil  clean  and  mellow 
throughout  the  entire  season ;  for  this  vegetable 
grows  until  the  ground  freezes.  There  is  only  one 
variety. 

The  pea  is  another  crop  which  may  be  put  into 
the  ground  as  soon  as  the  frost  is  out,  —  the  earlier 
the  better,  if  the  smooth,  hardy  varieties  are  sown. 
There  are  so  many  varieties  that  the  novice  to-day 
may  well  be  excused  for  perplexity  in  choice. 
Thompson,  the  English  authority,  gives  forty  kinds, 
and  one  hundred  and  forty-eight  synonyms.  Mr. 
Gregory  recommends  the  American  Wonder, 
Bliss's  Abundance,  Bliss's  Ever-bearing,  McLean's 
Advancer,  Yorkshire  Hero,  Stratagem,  and  Cham- 
pion of  England.  Mr.  Henderson's  list  includes 
Henderson's  First  of  All,  American  Wonder, 
Bliss's  Abundance,  Champion  of  England,  and 
Pride  of  the  Market.  Mr.  Harris  in  his  catalogue 
marks  first  and  best,  American  Wonder,  and  also 
says,  "  For  the  main  crop  there  is  nothing  better 
than  the  Champion  of  England."  My  own  ex- 
perience would  lead  me  to  plant  the  Tom  Thumb 
either  just  before  the  ground  froze  in  the  fall,  or 


THE   KITCHEN-GARDEN.  225 

as  early  in  March  as  possible.  It  is  almost  per- 
fectly hardy,  and  gives  me  the  earliest  picking.  I 
should  also  plant  Henderson's  First  of  All  as  soon 
as  the  frost  was  out,  on  a  warm,  well-drained  soil. 
For  second  crops,  American  Wonder  and  Premium 
Gem ;  and  for  the  main  and  most  satisfactory  crop 
of  all,  Champion  of  England.  The  Champion  re- 
quires brush  as  a  support,  for  it  grows  from  four 
to  six  feet  high;  but  it  is  well  worth  the  trouble. 
I  plant  the  other  kinds  named  because  they  are 
much  earlier,  and  so  dwarf  as  to  need  no  brush ; 
they  are  also  productive,  and  excellent  in  quality 
if  not  left  to  grow  too  old.  For  the  dwarf  kinds 
the  soil  cannot  be  too  rich,  and  the  warmer  the 
ground  and  exposure,  the  earlier  the  crop.  For 
the  tall  late  sorts  the  soil  may  easily  be  made  too 
fertile;  they  should  also  be  planted  in  cooler, 
moister,  and  heavier  ground.  In  the  case  of  the 
dwarfs  I  put  a  fertilizer  in  with  the  seed  as  I  have 
already  explained.  Cover  the  dwarfs  about  two 
and  a  half  inches  deep,  and  the  tall  late  sorts  from 
three  to  four  inches,  according  to  the  nature  of  the 
soil.  Plant  the  Champion  of  England  every  ten 
days  until  the  middle  of  June,  and  thus  secure  a 
succession  of  the  best  of  all. 

We  all  know  how  numerous  have  been  the  varie- 
ties of  potato  introduced  into  this  country  of  late 
years,  —  many  kinds  sent  out  at  first  at  the  rate  of 

15 


226  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

one  or  more  dollars  per  pound.  I  amuse  myself 
by  trying  several  of  these  novelties  (after  they 
become  cheap)  every  year,  and  one  season  raised 
very  early  crops  of  excellent  potatoes  from  the 
Vanguard  and  Pearl  of  Savoy.  The  Early  Rose 
and  Early  Vermont  have  long  been  favorites. 
They  resemble  each  other  very  closely.  I  have 
had  excellent  success  with  the  Beauty  of  Hebron. 
It  is  a  good  plan  to  learn  what  varieties  succeed 
well  in  our  own  neighborhood,  and  plant  chiefly 
of  such  kinds;  then  add  to  our  zest  by  trying  a 
few  novelties. 

Not  only  much  reading  on  the  subject,  but  also 
my  own  observation,  and  the  general  law  that 
"  like  produces  like,"  lead  me  to  indorse  the  prac- 
tice of  planting  large  tubers  cut  into  sets  contain- 
ing one  or  more  eyes,  or  buds.  The  eye  of  a 
potato  is  a  bud  from  which  the  plant  grows ;  and 
the  stronger  backing  it  has,  the  stronger  and  more 
able  is  the  plant  to  evolve  new  fine  tubers  through 
the  action  of  its  roots  and  foliage.  A  small  potato 
has  many  immature  buds,  which  as  a  rule  pro- 
duce feeble  plants. 

The  potato  will  grow  on  almost  any  soil ;  but  a 
dry,  rich,  sandy  loam  gives  the  best,  if  not  the 
largest,  yield.  I  do  not  think  the  potato  can  be 
planted  too  early  after  the  ground  is  fit  to  work. 
One  spring  I  was  able  to  get  in  several  rows  the 


THE   KITCHEN-GARDEN.  22? 

1 5th  of  March,  and  I  never  had  a  finer  yield.  I 
observe  that  Mr.  Harris  strongly  indorses  this 
plan. 

Nearly  every  one  has  his  system  of  planting. 
There  is  no  necessity  for  explaining  these  methods. 
I  will  briefly  give  mine,  for  what  it  is  worth.  I 
prefer  warm,  well-drained  soils.  Plough  deeply  in 
autumn,  also  in  spring ;  harrow  and  pulverize  the 
ground  as  completely  as  possible ;  then  open  the 
furrows  with  the  same  heavy  plough,  sinking  it  to 
the  beam,  and  going  twice  in  the  furrow.  This, 
of  course,  would  make  too  deep  a  trench  in  which 
to  place  the  sets,  but  the  soil  has  been  deepened 
and  pulverized  at  least  fourteen  inches.  A  man 
next  goes  along  with  a  cart  or  barrow  of  well- 
decayed  compost  (not  very  raw  manure),  which  is 
scattered  freely  in  the  deep  furrows;  then  through 
these  a  corn-plough  is  run,  to  mingle  the  fertilizer 
with  the  soil.  By  this  course  the  furrows  are  par- 
tially filled  with  loose,  friable  soil  and  manure,  and 
they  average  four  or  five  inches  in  depth.  The 
sets  are  planted  at  once  eight  inches  apart,  the  eye 
turned  upward,  and  the  cut  part  down.  The  sets 
are  then  covered  with  three  or  four  inches  of  fine 
soil,  not  with  sods  and  stones.  When  the  plants 
are  two  or  three  inches  high,  they  receive  their  first 
hoeing,  which  merely  levels  the  ground  evenly. 
The  next  cultivation  is  performed  by  both  corn- 


228  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

plough  and  hoe.  In  the  final  working  I  do  not 
permit  a  sharp-slanting  slope  from  the  plants 
downward,  so  that  the  rain  is  kept  from  reaching 
the  roots.  There  is  a  broad  hilling  up,  so  as  to 
have  a  slope  inward  towards  the  plants,  as  well  as 
away  from  them.  This  method,  with  the  deep, 
loosened  soil  beneath  the  plants,  secures  against 
drought,  while  the  decayed  fertilizers  give  a  strong 
and  immediate  growth. 

Of  course  we  have  to  fight  the  potato,  or  Colo- 
rado, beetle  during  the  growing  season.  This 
we  do  with  Paris  green  applied  in  liquid  form,  a 
heaping  teaspoonful  to  a  pail  of  water. 

In  taking  up  and  storing  potatoes  a  very  com- 
mon error  is  fallen  into.  Sometimes  even  growing 
tubers  are  so  exposed  to  sun  and  light  that  they 
become  green.  In  this  condition  they  are  not  only 
worthless,  but  poisonous.  If  long  exposed  to  light 
after  being  dug,  the  solanine  principle,  which  exists 
chiefly  in  the  stems  and  leaves,  is  developed  in  the 
tubers.  The  more  they  are  in  the  light,  the  less 
value  they  possess,  until  they  become  worse  than 
worthless.  They  should  be  dug,  if  possible,  on  a 
dry  day,  picked  up  promptly,  and  carried  to  a  dry, 
cool,  dark  cellar.  If  stored  on  floors  of  out-build- 
ings, the  light  should  be  excluded.  Potatoes  that 
are  long  exposed  to  light  before  the  shops  of  deal- 
ers are  injured.  Barrels,  etc.,  containing  them 


THE   KITCHEN-GARDEN.  22Q 

should  be  covered ;  if  spread  on  the  barn-floor,  or 
in  places  which  cannot  be  darkened,  throw  straw 
or  some  other  litter  over  them. 

There  is  no  occasion  to  say  much  about  lettuce. 
It  is  a  vegetable  which  any  one  can  raise  who  will 
sow  the  seed  a  quarter  of  an  inch  deep.  I  have 
sowed  the  seed  in  September,  wintered  the  plants 
over  in  cold-frames,  and  by  giving  a  little  heat,  I 
had  an  abundance  of  heads  to  sell  in  February  and 
March.  For  ordinary  home  uses  it  is  necessary 
only  to  sow  the  seed  on  a  warm,  rich  spot  as  soon 
as  the  frost  is  out,  and  you  will  quickly  have 
plenty  of  tender  foliage.  This  we  may  begin  to 
thin  out  as  soon  as  the  plants  are  three  or  four 
inches  high,  until  a  foot  of  space  is  left  between 
the  plants,  which,  if  of  a  cabbage  variety,  will 
speedily  make  a  large,  crisp  head.  To  maintain  a 
supply,  sowings  can  be  made  every  two  weeks  till 
the  middle  of  August.  Hardy  plants,  which  may 
be  set  out  like  cabbages,  are  to  be  obtained  in 
March  and  April  from  nurserymen.  Henderson 
recommends  the  following  varieties :  Henderson's 
New  York,  Black-seeded  Simpson,  Salamander, 
and  All  the  Year  Round.  I  would  also  add  the 
Black-seeded  Butter  Lettuce. 

We  have  now,  as  far  as  our  space  permits,  treated 
of  those  vegetables  which  should  be  planted  in  the 
home  garden  as  early  in  spring  as  possible.  It 


230  THE    HOME    ACRE. 

is  true  the  reader  will  think  of  other  sorts,  as 
cabbage,  cauliflower,  spinach,  etc.  To  the  pro- 
fessional gardener  these  are  all- the-y ear-round 
vegetables.  If  the  amateur  becomes  so  interested 
in  his  garden  as  to  have  cold-frames  and  hot-beds, 
he  will  learn  from  more  extended  works  how  to 
manage  these.  He  will  winter  over  the  cabbage 
and  kindred  vegetables  for  his  earliest  supply,  hav- 
ing first  sown  the  seed  in  September.  I  do  not 
take  the  trouble  to  do  this,  and  others  need  not, 
unless  it  is  a  source  of  enjoyment  to  them.  As 
soon  as  the  ground  is  fit  to  work  in  spring,  I 
merely  write  to  some  trustworthy  dealer  in  plants 
and  obtain  twenty-five  very  early  cabbage,  and 
twenty-five  second  early,  also  a  hundred  early 
cauliflower.  They  cost  little,  and  are  set  out  in 
half  an  hour  as  soon  as  the  ground  is  fit  to  work 
in  spring.  I  usually  purchase  my  tomato,  late  cab- 
bage, and  cauliflower,  celery  and  egg-plants,  from 
the  same  sources.  Cabbages  and  cauliflowers 
should  be  set  out  in  rich  warm  soils,  free  from 
shade,  as  soon  as  the  frost  is  out.  After  that  they 
need  only  frequent  and  clean  culture  and  vigilant 
watchfulness,  or  else  many  will  fall  victims  to  a 
dirty  brown  worm  which  usually  cuts  the  stem, 
and  leaves  the  plant  lying  on  the  ground.  The 
worm  can  easily  be  found  near  the  surface  the  mo- 
ment it  begins  its  ravages,  and  the  only  remedy 


THE  KITCHEN-GARDEN.  231 

I  know  is  to  catch  and  kill  it  at  once.  In  this 
latitude  winter  cabbage  is  set  out  about  the  fourth 
of  July.  I  pinch  off  half  the  leaves  before  setting. 
Good  seed,  deep  ploughing  or  spading,  rich  soil, 
and  clean  culture  are  usually  the  only  requisites 
for  success.  Experience  and  consultation  of  the 
books  and  catalogues  enable  me  to  recommend 
the  Jersey  Wakefield  for  first  early,  and  Hender- 
son's Summer  Cabbage  and  Winningstadt  as  sec- 
ond early.  As  a  late  root  I  ask  for  nothing  better 
than  Premium  Flat  Dutch.  The  Savoy  is  the  best 
flavored  of  the  cabbage  tribe.  Henderson  recom- 
mends the  Netted  Savoy,  which  may  be  treated 
like  other  late  cabbage. 

The  cauliflower  is  ranked  among  the  chief  deli- 
cacies of  the  garden,  and  requires  and  repays  far 
more  attention  than  the  cabbage.  Even  the  early 
sorts  should  have  a  richer,  moister  soil  than  is 
required  for  very  early  cabbage.  I  advise  two 
plantings  in  spring,  of  first  and  second  early;  I 
also  advise  that  late  varieties  be  set  out  on  rich 
ground  the  last  of  June.  As  with  cabbage,  set 
out  the  plants  from  two  and  a  half  to  three  feet 
apart,  according  to  the  size  of  the  variety.  From 
trial  I  recommend  Early  Snowball,  Half-early 
Paris,  and  Large  Late  Algiers. 

Spinach  thrives  in  a  very  rich,  well-drained,  fine, 
mellow  soil.  I  prefer  a  sunny  slope ;  but  this  is 


232  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

not  necessary.  Sow  the  seed  from  the  first  to  the 
fifteenth  of  September,  so  as  to  give  the  plants  time 
to  become  half  grown  by  winter.  Cover  the  seeds 
—  three  to  an  inch  —  two  inches  deep,  and  pack 
the  ground  well  over  them ;  let  the  rows  be  three 
inches  apart.  When  the  plants  are  three  inches 
high,  thin  out  to  three  inches  apart,  and  keep  the 
soil  clean  and  mellow  about  them.  Just  before 
hard  freezing  weather,  scatter  about  three  inches 
of  straw,  old  pea-vines,  or  some  light  litter  over 
the  whole  bed.  As  soon  as  the  days  begin  to 
grow  warm  in  spring,  and  hard  frost  ceases,  rake 
this  off.  The  hardy  vegetable  begins  to  grow  at 
once,  and  should  be  cut  for  use  so  as  to  leave  the 
plants  finally  six  inches  apart,  for  as  fast  as  space 
is  given,  the  plants  fill  it  up.  By  those  who  are 
fond  of  spinach  it  may  be  sown  in  spring  as  soon 
as  the  frost  is  out.  It  quickly  runs  to  seed  in  hot 
weather,  and  thinnings  of  young  beets  may  take 
its  place  where  space  is  limited.  The  Round  or 
Summer  is  good  for  fall  or  spring  planting. 

Those  who  need  much  instruction  in  regard  to 
bush-beans  should  remain  in  the  city  and  raise 
cats  in  their  paved  back  yards.  We  shall  only 
warn  against  planting  too  early,  —  not  before  the 
last  of  April  in  our  region.  It  does  not  take  much 
frost  to  destroy  the  plants,  and  if  the  soil  is  cold 
and  wet,  the  beans  decay  instead  of  coming  up.  If 


THE  KITCHEN-GARDEN.  233 

one  has  a  warm,  sheltered  slope,  he  may  begin 
planting  the  middle  of  April.  As  a  rule,  however, 
bush-beans  may  be  planted  from  the  first  of  May 
till  the  middle  of  July,  in  order  to  keep  up  a  suc- 
cession. Cover  the  first  seed  planted  one  inch 
deep;  later  plantings  two  inches  deep.  I  think 
that  earliest  Red  Valentine,  Black  Wax  or  Butter, 
Golden  Wax,  and  the  late  Refugee  are  all  the  varie- 
ties needed  for  the  garden. 

The  delicious  pale  Lima  bean  requires  and 
deserves  more  attention.  I  have  always  succeeded 
with  it,  and  this  has  been  my  method:  I  take  a 
warm,  rich,  but  not  dry  piece  of  ground,  work  it 
deeply  early  in  spring,  again  the  first  of  May,  so 
that  the  sun's  rays  may  penetrate  and  sweeten  the 
ground.  About  the  tenth  of  May  I  set  the  poles 
firmly  in  the  ground.  Rough  cedar-poles,  with  the 
stubs  of  the  branches  extending  a  little,  are  the 
best.  If  smooth  poles  are  used,  I  take  a  hatchet, 
and  beginning  at  the  butt,  I  make  shallow,  slant- 
ing cuts  downward,  so  as  to  raise  the  bark  a  little. 
These  slight  raisings  of  the  bark  or  wood  serve  as 
supports  to  the  clambering  vines.  After  the  poles 
are  in  the  ground  I  make  a  broad,  flat  hill  of  loose 
soil  and  a  little  of  the  black  powdery  fertilizer.  I 
then  allow  the  sun  to  warm  and  dry  the  hill  a  few 
days,  and  if  the  weather  is  fine  and  warm,  I  plant 
the  seed  about  the  fifteenth,  merely  pressing  the  eye 


234  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

of  the  bean  downward  one  inch.  If  planted  lower 
than  this  depth,  they  usually  decay.  If  it  is  warm 
and  early,  the  seed  may  be  planted  by  the  fifth  of 
May.  After  planting,  examine  the  seed  often.  If 
the  beans  are  decaying  instead  of  coming  up,  plant 
over  again,  and  repeat  this  process  until  there  are 
three  or  four  strong  plants  within  three  or  four 
inches  of  each  pole.  Let  the  hills  be  five  feet 
apart  each  way,  hoe  often,  and  do  not  tolerate 
a  weed.  The  Long  White  Lima  and  Dreer's 
Improved  Lima  are  the  only  sorts  needed. 

The  Indians  in  their  succotash  taught  us  long 
ago  to  associate  corn  with  beans,  and  they  hit 
upon  a  dish  not  surpassed  by  modern  invention. 
This  delicious  vegetable  is  as  easily  raised  as  its 
"  hail-fellow  well  met,"  the  bean.  We  have  only 
to  plant  it  at  the  same  time  in  hills  from  three 
to  four  feet  apart,  and  cover  the  seed  two  inches 
deep.  I  have  used  the  powdery  fertilizers  and 
wood-ashes  in  the  hill  to  great  advantage,  first 
mingling  these  ingredients  well  with  the  soil.  We 
make  it  a  point  to  have  sweet-corn  for  the  table 
from  July  I  until  the  stalks  are  killed  by  frost  in 
October.  This  is  easily  managed  by  planting  dif- 
ferent varieties,  and  continuing  to  plant  till  well 
into  June.  Mr.  Gregory  writes :  "  For  a  suc- 
cession of  corn  for  family  use,  to  be  planted  at  the 
same  time,  I  would  recommend  Marblehead  Early, 


THE   KITCHEN-GARDEN.  235 

Pratt's,  Crosley's,  Moore's,  Stowell's  Evergreen, 
and  Egyptian  Sweet."  Mr.  Harris  names  with 
praise  the  Minnesota  as  the  best  earliest,  and 
Hickox  Improved  as  an  exceedingly  large  and 
late  variety.  Mr.  Henderson's  list  is  Henderson 
Sugar,  Hickox  Improved,  Egyptian,  and  Stowell's 
Evergreen.  Let  me  add  Burr's  Mammoth  and 
Squantum  Sugar,  —  a  variety  in  great  favor  with 
the  Squantum  Club,  and  used  by  them  in  their 
famous  clam-bakes. 

The  cucumber,  if  grown  in  the  home  garden  and 
used  fresh,  is  not  in  league  with  the  undertaker. 
The  seed  may  be  planted  early  in  May,  and  there 
are  many  ways  of  forcing  and  hastening  the  yield. 
I  have  had  cucumbers  very  early  in  an  ordinary 
hot-bed.  Out-doors,  I  make  hills  in  warm  soil  the 
first  of  May,  mixing  a  little  of  my  favorite  fertilizer 
with  the  soil.  After  leaving  the  hill  for  a  day  or 
two  to  become  warm  in  the  sun,  I  sow  the  seed 
in  a  straight  line  for  fifteen  inches,  so  that  the  hoe 
can  approach  them  closely.  The  seed  is  covered 
an  inch  deep,  and  the  soil  patted  down  firmly.  It 
is  possible  that  a  cold  storm  or  that  insects  may 
make  partial  planting  over  necessary;  if  so,  this 
is  done  promptly.  I  put  twenty  seeds  in  the  hill, 
to  insure  against  loss.  For  a  succession  or  long- 
continued  crop,  plant  a  few  hills  in  rich  moist  land 
about  the  last  of  May.  The  young  plants  always 


236  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

run  a  gantlet  of  insects,  and  a  little  striped  bug 
is  usually  their  most  deadly  enemy.  These  bugs 
often  appear  to  come  suddenly  in  swarms,  and 
devour  everything  before  you  are  aware  of  their 
presence.  With  great  vigilance  they  may  be  kept 
off  by  hand,  for  their  stay  is  brief.  I  would  advise 
one  trial  of  a  solution  of  white  hellebore,  a  table- 
spoonful  to  a  pail  of  water.  Paris  green  —  in  solu- 
tion, of  course  —  kills  them ;  but  unless  it  is  very 
weak,  it  will  kill  or  stunt  the  plants  also.  My  musk 
and  watermelons  were  watered  by  too  strong  a 
solution  of  Paris  green  this  year,  and  they  never 
recovered  from  it.  Perhaps  the  best  preventive  is 
to  plant  so  much  seed,  and  to  plant  over  so  often, 
that  although  the  insects  do  their  worst,  plenty  of 
good  plants  survive.  This  has  usually  been  my 
method.  When  the  striped  bug  disappears,  and  the 
plants  are  four  or  five  inches  high,  I  thin  out  to  four 
plants  in  the  hill.  When  they  come  into  bearing, 
pick  off  all  the  fruit  fit  for  use,  whether  you  want  it 
or  not.  If  many  are  allowed  to  become  yellow  and 
go  to  seed,  the  growth  and  productiveness  of  the 
vines  are  checked.  The  Early  White  Spine  and 
Extra  Long  White  Spine  are  all  the  varieties  needed 
for  the  table.  For  pickling  purposes  plant  the 
Green  Prolific  on  moist,  rich  land.  The  other  varie- 
ties answer  quite  as  well,  if  picked  before  they  are 
too  large. 


THE  KITCHEN-GARDEN.  237 

The  cultivation  of  the  squash  is  substantially  the 
same  as  that  of  the  cucumber,  and  it  has  nearly 
the  same  enemies  to  contend  with.  Let  the  hills 
of  the  bush  sorts  be  four  feet  apart  each  way,  and 
eight  feet  for  the  running  varieties.  The  seed  is 
cheap,  so  use  plenty,  and  plant  over  from  the  first 
to  the  twenty-fifth  of  May,  until  you  have  three 
good  strong  plants  to  the  hill.  Three  are  plenty, 
so  thin  out  the  plants,  when  six  or  seven  inches 
high,  to  this  number,  and  keep  the  ground  clean 
and  mellow.  I  usually  raise  my  running  squashes 
among  the  corn,  giving  up  one  hill  to  them  com- 
pletely every  seven  or  eight  feet  each  way.  Early 
bush  sorts :  White  Bush  Scalloped,  Yellow  Bush 
Scalloped.  The  Perfect  Gem  is  good  for  both  sum- 
mer and  winter,  and  should  be  planted  on  rich  soil, 
six  feet  apart  each  way.  The  Boston  Marrow  is  one 
of  the  best  fall  sorts;  the  Hubbard  and  Marble- 
head  are  the  best  winter  varieties. 

When  we  come  to  plant  musk-melons  we  must 
keep  them  well  away  from  the  two  above-named 
vegetables,  or  else  their  pollen  will  mix,  producing 
very  disagreeable  hybrids.  A  squash  is  very  good 
in  its  way,  and  a  melon  is  much  better ;  but  if  you 
grow  them  so  near  each  other  that  they  become 
"  'alf  and  'alf,"  you  may  perhaps  find  pigs  that  will 
eat  them.  The  more  completely  the  melon  patch  is 
by  itself,  the  better,  and  the  nearer  the  house  the 


238  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

better;  for  while  it  is  liable  to  all  the  insects  and 
diseases  which  attack  the  cucumber,  it  encounters, 
when  the  fruit  is  mature,  a  more  fatal  enemy  in  the 
predatory  small  boy.  Choose  rich,  warm,  but  not 
dry  ground  for  musk-melons,  make  the  hills  six 
feet  apart  each  way,  and  treat  them  like  cucum- 
bers, employing  an  abundance  of  seed.  As  soon 
as  the  plants  are  ready  to  run,  thin  out  so  as  to 
leave  only  four  to  fruit.  Henderson  recommends 
Montreal  Market,  Hackensack,  and  Netted  Gem. 
Gregory:  Netted  Gem,  Boston  Pet,  Bay  View, 
Sill's  Hybrid,  Casaba,  and  Ward's  Nectar.  He 
also  advocates  a  remarkable  novelty  known  as  the 
"Banana."  Harris:  Early  Christiana  and  Mon- 
treal Market. 

Water-melons  should  be  planted  eight  feet  apart ; 
but  if  one  has  not  a  warm,  sandy  soil,  I  do  not  ad- 
vise their  culture.  The  time  of  planting  and  man- 
agement do  not  vary  materially  from  those  of  the 
musk  variety.  The  following  kinds  will  scarcely  fail 
to  give  satisfaction  where  they  can  be  grown :  Phin- 
ney's  Early,  Black  Spanish,  Mammoth  Iron-clad, 
Mountain  Sprout,  Scaly  Bark,  and  Cuban  Queen. 

The  tomato  has  a  curious  history.  Native  of 
South  America  like  the  potato,  it  is  said  to  have 
been  introduced  into  England  as  early  as  1596. 
Many  years  elapsed  before  it  was  used  as  food,  and 
the  botanical  name  given  to  it  was  significant  of 


THE   KITCHEN-GARDEN.  239 

the  estimation  in  which  it  was  held  by  our  fore- 
fathers. It  was  called  Lycopersicum,  —  a  com- 
pound term  meaning  wolf  and  peach;  indicating 
that,  notwithstanding  its  beauty,  it  was  regarded 
as  a  sort  of  "  Dead  Sea  fruit."  The  Italians  first 
dared  to  use  it  freely;  the  French  followed;  and 
after  eying  it  askance  as  a  novelty  for  unknown 
years,  John  Bull  ventured  to  taste,  and  having  sur- 
vived, began  to  eat  with  increasing  gusto.  To  our 
grandmothers  in  this  land  the  ruby  fruit  was  given 
as  "  love-apples,"  which,  adorning  quaint  old  bu- 
reaus, were  devoured  by  dreamy  eyes  long  before 
canning  factories  were  within  the  ken  of  even  a 
Yankee's  vision.  Now,  tomatoes  vie  with  the  po- 
tato as  a  general  article  of  food,  and  one  can  scarcely 
visit  a  quarter  of  the  globe  so  remote  but  he  will 
find  that  the  tomato-can  has  been  there  before  him. 
Culture  of  the  tomato  is  so  easy  that  one  year  I 
had  bushels  of  the  finest  fruit  from  plants  that 
grew  here  and  there  by  chance.  Skill  is  required 
only  in  producing  an  early  crop;  and  to  secure  this 
end  the  earlier  the  plants  are  started  in  spring,  the 
better.  Those  who  have  glass  will  experience  no 
difficulty  whatever.  The  seed  may  be  sown  in  a 
greenhouse  as  early  as  January,  and  the  plants 
potted  when  three  inches  high,  transferred  to  larger 
pots  from  time  to  time  as  they  grow,  and  by  the 
middle  of  May  put  into  the  open  ground  full  of 


240  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

blossoms  and  immature  fruit.  Indeed,  plants  started 
early  in  the  fall  will  give  in  a  greenhouse  a  good 
supply  all  winter.  Tomatoes  also  grow  readily  in 
hot-beds,  cold-frames,  or  sunny  windows.  We  can 
usually  buy  well-forwarded  plants  from  those  who 
raise  them  for  sale.  If  these  are  set  out  early  in 
May  on  a  sunny  slope,  they  mature  rapidly,  and 
give  an  early  yield.  The  tomato  is  very  sensitive 
to  frost,  and  should  not  be  in  the  open  ground  be- 
fore danger  from  it  is  over.  Throughout  May  we 
may  find  plants  for  sale  everywhere.  If  we  desire 
to  try  distinct  kinds  with  the  least  trouble,  we  can 
sow  the  seed  about  May  I,  and  in  our  climate  en- 
joy an  abundant  yield  in  September,  or  before.  In 
the  cool,  humid  climate  of  England  the  tomato  is 
usually  grown  en  espalier,  like  the  peach,  along 
sunny  walls  and  fences,  receiving  as  careful  a  sum- 
mer pruning  as  the  grape-vine.  With  us  it  is 
usually  left  to  sprawl  over  the  ground  at  will.  By 
training  the  vines  over  various  kinds  of  supports, 
however,  they  may  be  made  as  ornamental  as  they 
are  useful.  The  ground  on  which  they  grow  should 
be  only  moderately  fertile,  or  else  there  is  too  great 
a  growth  of  vine  at  the  expense  of  fruit.  This  is 
especially  true  if  we  desire  an  early  yield,  and  in 
this  case  the  warmest,  driest  soil  is  necessary. 

But  comparatively  a  few  years  ago  the  tomato 
consisted  of  little  more  than  a  rind,  with  seeds  in 


THE   KITCHEN-GARDEN.  241 

the  hollow  centre.  Now,  the  only  varieties  worth 
raising  cut  as  solid  as  a  mellow  pear.  The  follow- 
ing is  Gregory's  list  of  varieties:  Livingston's 
Beauty,  Alpha,  Acme,  Canada  Victor,  Arlington, 
General  Grant.  I  will  add  Trophy  and  Mikado. 
If  a  yellow  variety  is  desired,  try  Golden  Trophy. 
If  the  tomato  needs  warm  weather  in  which  to 
thrive,  the  egg-plant  requires  that  both  days  and 
nights  should  be  hot.  It  is  an  East  Indiaman,  and 
demands  curry  in  the  way  of  temperature  before  it 
loses  its  feeble  yellow  aspect  and  takes  on  the  dark 
green  of  vigorous  health.  My  method  is  simply 
this:  I  purchase  strong  potted  plants  between 
the  twentieth  of  May  and  the  first  of  June,  and 
set  them  out  in  a  rich,  warm  soil.  A  dozen  well- 
grown  plants  will  supply  a  large  family  with  egg- 
fruit.  Of  course  one  can  start  the  young  plants 
themselves,  as  in  the  case  of  tomatoes;  but  it 
should  be  remembered  that  they  are  much  more 
tender  and  difficult  to  raise  than  is  the  tomato. 
Plants  from  seed  sown  in  the  open  ground  would 
not  mature  in  our  latitude,  as  a  rule.  The  best 
plan  is  to  have  the  number  you  need  grown  for  you 
by  those  who  make  it  their  business.  Egg-plants 
are  choice  morsels  for  the  potato-beetle,  and  they 
must  be  watched  vigilantly  if  we  would  save  them. 
There  is  no  better  variety  than  the  New  York 
Improved. 

16 


242  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

The  pepper  is  another  hot-blooded  vegetable 
that  shivers  at  the  suggestion  of  frost.  It  is  fitting 
that  it  should  be  a  native  of  India.  Its  treatment 
is  usually  the  same  as  that  of  the  egg-plant.  It 
matures  more  rapidly,  however,  and  the  seed  can 
be  sown  about  the  middle  of  May,  half  an  inch 
deep,  in  rows  fifteen  inches  apart.  The  soil  should 
be  rich  and  warm.  When  the  plants  are  well  up, 
they  should  be  thinned  so  that  they  will  stand  a 
foot  apart  in  the  row.  The  usual  course,  how- 
ever, is  to  set  out  plants  which  have  been  started 
under  glass,  after  all  danger  from  frost  is  over. 
Henderson  recommends  New  Sweet  Spanish  and 
Golden  Dawn.  The  Large  Bell  is  a  popular  sort, 
and  Cherry  Red  very  ornamental. 

From  the  okra  is  made  the  famous  gumbo  soup, 
which  ever  calls  to  vision  a  colored  aunty  presiding 
over  the  mysteries  of  a  Southern  dinner.  If  Aunt 
Dinah,  so  well  known  to  us  from  the  pages  of 
"  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  could  have  left  her  receipt 
for  this  compound,  her  fame  might  have  lasted  as 
long  as  that  of  Mrs.  Stowe.  The  vegetable  fur- 
nishing this  glutinous,  nutritious,  and  wholesome 
ingredient  is  as  easily  raised  as  any  product  of 
the  garden.  We  have  only"  to  sow  the  seed, 
from  the  first  to  the  tenth  of  May,  two  inches 
deep,  and  let  the  plants  stand  from  two  to  three 
feet  apart  each  way,  in  order  to  have  an  abundant 


THE  KITCHEN-GARDEN.  243 

supply.      The    new   Dwarf  Prolific   is   about  the 
best  variety. 

Fall  turnips  are  so  easily  grown  that  they  require 
but  few  words.  They  are  valuable  vegetables  for 
utilizing  space  in  the  garden  after  early  crops,  as 
peas,  beans,  potatoes,  etc.,  are  removed  The  seed 
of  ruta-baga,  or  Swedish  turnips,  should  be  planted 
earliest,  —  from  the  twentieth  of  June  to  the  tenth 
of  July  in  our  latitude.  This  turnip  should  be 
sown  in  drills  two  feet  apart,  and  the  plants 
thinned  to  eight  inches  from  one  another.  It  is 
very  hardy,  and  the  roots  are  close-grained,  solid, 
and  equally  good  for  the  table  and  the  family 
cow.  The  Yellow  Aberdeen  is  another  excellent 
variety,  which  may  be  sown  early  in  July,  and 
treated  much  the  same  as  the  foregoing.  The 
Yellow  Stone  can  be  sown  on  good  ground  until 
the  fifteenth  of  July  in  any  good  garden  soil, 
and  the  plants  thinned  to  six  inches  apart  It  is 
perhaps  the  most  satisfactory  of  all  the  turnip 
tribe  both  for  table  use  and  stock.  The  Red-top 
Strap-leaf  may  be  sown  anywhere  until  the  tenth 
of  August.  It  is  a  general  custom,  in  the  middle 
of  July,  to  scatter  some  seed  of  this  hardy  vari- 
ety among  the  corn :  hoe  it  in  lightly,  and  there 
is  usually  a  good  crop.  Every  vacant  spot  may  be 
utilized  by  incurring  only  the  slight  cost  of  the 
seed  and  the  sowing.  It  may  be  well,  perhaps  to 


244  THE   HOME  ACRE. 

remember  the  advice  of  the  old  farmer  to  his  son. 
He  said,  "  Stub  your  toe  and  spill  half  the  seed 
before  sowing  it ;  for  scattered  broadcast  it  is  usu- 
ally much  too  thick."  If  this  proves  true,  thin  out 
the  plants  rigorously.  This  turnip  is  good  for  table 
and  stock  as  long  as  it  is  solid  and  crisp ;  but  it 
grows  pithy  towards  spring.  There  are  other  kinds 
well  worth  a  trial. 

Perhaps  no  vegetable  is  more  generally  appreci- 
ated than  celery.  Like  asparagus,  it  was  once,  and 
is  still  by  some,  regarded  as  a  luxury  requiring  too 
much  skill  and  labor  for  the  ordinary  gardener. 
This  is  a  mistake.  Few  vegetables  in  my  garden 
repay  so  amply  the  cost  of  production.  One  can 
raise  turnips  as  a  fall  crop  much  easier,  it  is  true ; 
but  turnips  are  not  celery,  any  more  than  brass  is 
gold.  Think  of  enjoying  this  delicious  vegetable 
daily  from  October  till  April !  When  cooked,  and 
served  on  toast  with  drawn  butter  sauce,  it  is  quite 
ambrosial.  In  every  garden  evolved  beyond  the 
cabbage  and  potato  phase  a  goodly  space  of  the 
best  soil  should  be  reserved  for  celery,  since  it  can 
be  set  out  from  the  first  to  the  twentieth  of  July 
in  our  latitude ;  it  can  be  grown  as  the  most  valu- 
able of  the  second  crops,  re-occupying  space  made 
vacant  by  early  crops.  I  find  it  much  easier  to 
buy  my  plants,  when  ready  for  them,  than  to  raise 
them.  In  every  town  there  are  those  who  grow 


THE  KITCHEN  GARDEN.  245 

them  in  very  large  quantities,  and,  if  properly 
packed,  quickly  transported,  and  promptly  set  out 
in  the  evening  following  their  reception,  and 
watered  abundantly,  they  rarely  fail. 

There  are  decided  advantages,  however,  in 
raising  our  own  plants,  especially  if  midsummer 
should  prove  dry  and  hot,  or  the  plants  must  be 
long  in  transit.  When  they  are  growing  in  our 
own  garden,  they  can  be  moved  with  very  slight 
check  to  their  growth.  In  starting  the  seed  there, 
is  no  necessity  for  hot-bed  or  cold-frame.  It  may 
be  put  in  the  ground  the  first  week  of  April,  and 
the  best  plants  are  thus  secured.  Much  is  gained 
by  preparing  a  warm  but  not  dry  plot  of  ground 
in  autumn,  making  it  very  rich  with  short,  half- 
decayed  stable-manure.  This  preparation  should 
be  begun  as  soon  as  possible  after  the  soaking 
September  rains.  Having  thoroughly  incorpo- 
rated and  mixed  evenly  in  the  soil  an  abundance 
of  the  manure  described,  leave  the  ground  un- 
touched for  three  weeks.  The  warm  fertilizer 
will  cause  great  numbers  of  weed-seeds  to  ger- 
minate. When  these  thrifty  pests  are  a  few  inches 
high,  dig  them  under  and  bring  up  the  bottom 
soil.  The  warmth  and  light  will  immediately  start 
a  new  and  vigorous  growth  of  weeds,  which  in 
turn  should  be  dug  under.  If  the  celery  seed 
bed  be  made  early  enough,  this  process  can  be 


246  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

repeated  several  times  before  winter,  —  the  oftener 
the  better;  for  by  it  the  great  majority  of  weed- 
seeds  will  be  made  to  germinate,  and  thus  are 
destroyed.  The  ground  also  becomes  exceedingly 
rich,  mellow,  and  fine,  —  an  essential  condition 
for  celery  seed,  which  is  very  small,  and  germi- 
nates slowly.  This  thorough  preparation  does  not 
involve  much  labor,  for  the  seed-bed  is  small,  and 
nothing  more  is  required  in  spring  but  to  rake 
the  ground  smooth  and  fine  as  soon  as  the  frost 
is  out.  The  soil  has  already  been  made  mellow, 
and  certainly  nothing  is  gained  by  turning  up 
the  cold  earth  in  the  bottom  of  the  bed.  Sow 
the  seed  at  once  on  the  sun-warmed  surface. 
The  rows  should  be  nine  inches  apart,  and  about 
twelve  seeds  sown  to  every  inch  of  row.  The 
drills  should  be  scarcely  an  eighth  of  an  inch  deep. 
Indeed,  a  firm  patting  with  the  back  of  a  spade 
would  give  covering  enough.  Since  celery  ger- 
minates so  slowly,  it  is  well  to  drop  a  lettuce-seed 
every  few  inches,  to  indicate  clearly  just  where  the 
rows  are.  Then  the  ground  between  the  rows  can 
be  hoed  lightly  as  soon  as  the  weeds  start,  also 
after  heavy  rains,  so  as  to  admit  the  vivifying  sun- 
rays  and  air.  Of  course  when  the  celery  plants  are 
clearly  outlined,  the  lettuce  should  be  pulled  out. 

If  the  bed  is  made  in  spring,  perform  the  work 
as   early  as   possible,  making  the   bed  very  rich, 


THE  KITCHEN  GARDEN.  247 

mellow,  and  fine.  Coarse  manures,  cold,  poor, 
lumpy  soil,  leave  scarcely  a  ghost  of  a  chance  for 
success.  The  plants  should  be  thinned  to  two 
inches  from  one  another,  and  when  five  inches 
high,  shear  them  back  to  three  inches.  When 
they  have  made  another  good  growth,  shear  them 
back  again.  The  plants  are  thus  made  stocky. 
In  our  latitude  I  try  to  set  out  celery,  whether 
raised  or  bought,  between  the  twenty-fifth  of  June 
and  the  fifteenth  of  July.  This  latitude  enables  us 
to  avoid  a  spell  of  hot,  dry  weather. 

There  are  two  distinct  classes  of  celery,  —  the 
tall-growing  sorts,  and  the  dwarf  varieties.  A  few 
years  ago  the  former  class  was  grown  generally ; 
trenches  were  dug,  and  their  bottoms  well  enriched 
to  receive  the  plants.  Now  the  dwarf  kinds  are 
proving  their  superiority,  by  yielding  a  larger 
amount  of  crisp,  tender  heart  than  is  found  between 
long  coarse  stalks  of  the  tall  sorts.  Dwarf  celery 
requires  less  labor  also,  for  it  can  be  set  on  the 
surface  and  much  closer  together,  the  rows  three 
feet  apart,  and  the  plants  six  inches  in  the  row. 
Dig  all  the  ground  thoroughly,  then,  beginning 
on  one  side  of  the  plot,  stretch  a  line  along  it, 
and  fork  under  a  foot-wide  strip  of  three  or  four 
inches  of  compost,  not  raw  manure.  By  this  course 
the  soil  where  the  row  is  to  be  is  made  very  rich 
and  mellow.  Set  out  the  plants  at  once  while  the 


248  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

ground  is  fresh  and  moist.  If  the  row  is  ten  feet 
long,  you  will  want  twenty  plants ;  if  fifteen,  thirty 
plants ;  or  two  plants  to  every  foot  of  row.  Having 
set  out  one  row,  move  the  line  forward  three  feet, 
and  prepare  and  set  out  another  row  in  precisely 
the  same  manner.  Continue  this  process  until  the 
plot  selected  is  occupied.  If  the  plants  have  been 
grown  in  your  own  garden,  much  is  gained  by 
soaking  the  ground  round  them  in  the  evening, 
and  removing  them  to  the  rows  in  the  cool  of  the 
morning.  This  abundant  moisture  will  cause  the 
soil  to  cling  to  the  roots  if  handled  gently,  and 
the  plants  will .  scarcely  know  that  they  have  been 
moved.  When  setting  I  usually  trim  off  the 
greater  part  of  the  foliage.  When  all  the  leaves 
are  left,  the  roots,  not  established,  cannot  keep 
pace  with  the  evaporation.  Always  keep  the  roots 
moist  and  unshrivelled,  and  the  heart  intact,  and 
the  plants  are  safe.  If  no  rain  follows  setting 
immediately,  water  the  plants  thoroughly,  —  don't 
be  satisfied  with  a  mere  sprinkling  of  the  surface, 
—  and  shade  from  the  hot  sun  until  the  plants 
start  to  grow.  One  of  the  chief  requisites  in 
putting  out  a  celery  plant,  and  indeed  almost  any 
plant,  is  to  press  the  soil  firmly  round,  against, 
and  over  the  roots.  This  excludes  the  air,  and  the 
new  rootlets  form  rapidly.  Neither  bury  the  heart 
nor  leave  any  part  of  the  root  exposed. 


THE   KITCHEN-GARDEN.  249 

Do  not  be  discouraged  at  the  rather  slow  growth 
during  the  hot  days  of  July  and  early  August. 
You  have  only  to  keep  the  ground  clean  and 
mellow  by  frequent  hoeings  until  the  nights  grow 
cooler  and  longer,  and  rains  thoroughly  moisten 
the  soil.  About  the  middle  of  August  the  plants 
should  be  thrifty  and  spreading,  and  now  require 
the  first  operation,  which  will  make  them  crisp  and 
white  or  golden  for  the  table.  Gather  up  the 
stalks  and  foliage  of  each  plant  closely  in  the  left 
hand,  and  with  the  right  draw  up  the  earth  round 
it.  Let  no  soil  tumble  in  on  the  heart  to  soil  or 
cause  decay.  Press  the  soil  firmly,  so  as  to  keep 
all  the  leaves  in  an  upright  position.  Then  with 
a  hoe  draw  up  more  soil,  until  the  banking  process 
is  begun.  During  September  and  October  the 
plants  will  grow  rapidly,  and  in  order  to  blanch 
them  they  must  be  earthed  up  from  time  to  time, 
always  keeping  the  stalks  close  and  compact,  with 
no  soil  falling  in  on  the  developing  part.  By  the 
end  of  October  the  growth  is  practically  made, 
and  only  the  deep  green  leaves  rest  on  the  high 
embankments.  The  celery  now  should  be  fit  for 
use,  and  time  for  winter  storing  is  near.  In  our 
region  it  is  not  safe  to  leave  celery  unprotected 
after  the  tenth  of  November,  for  although  it  is 
a  very  hardy  plant,  it  will  not  endure  a  frost  which 
produces  a  strong  crust  of  frozen  soil.  I  once 


250  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

lost  a  fine  crop  early  in  November.  The  frost  in 
one  night  penetrated  the  soil  deeply,  and  when  it 
thawed  out,  the  celery  never  revived.  Never 
handle  celery  when  it  is  frozen.  My  method  of 
preserving  this  vegetable  for  winter  use  is  sim- 
ply this.  During  some  mild,  clear  day  in  early 
November  I  have  a  trench  ten  inches  wide  dug 
nearly  as  deep  as  the  celery  is  tall.  This  trench 
is  dug  on  a  warm  dry  slope,  so  that  by  no  possi- 
bility can  water  gather  in  it.  Then  the  plants  are 
taken  up  carefully  and  stored  in  the  trench,  the 
roots  on  the  bottom,  the  plants  upright  as  they 
grew,  and  pressed  closely  together  so  as  to  occupy 
all  the  space  in  the  excavation.  The  foliage  rises 
a  little  above  the  surface,  which  is  earthed  up 
about  four  inches,  so  that  water  will  be  shed  on 
either  side.  Still  enough  of  the  leaves  are  left  in 
the  light  to  permit  all  the  breathing  necessary; 
for  plants  breathe  as  truly  as  we  do.  As  long  as 
the  weather  keeps  mild,  this  is  all  that  is  needed; 
but  there  is  no  certainty  now.  A  hard  black  frost 
may  come  any  night.  I  advise  that  an  abundance 
of  leaves  or  straw  be  gathered  near.  When  a 
bleak  November  day  promises  a  black  frost  at 
night,  scatter  the  leaves,  etc.,  thickly  over  the 
trenched  celery,  and  do  not  take  them  off  until 
the  mercury  rises  above  freezing-point.  If  a  warm 
spell  sets  in,  expose  the  foliage  to  the  air  again. 


THE  KITCHEN-GARDEN.  251 

But  watch  your  treasure  vigilantly.  Winter  is 
near,  and  soon  you  must  have  enough  covering 
over  your  trench  to  keep  out  the  frost,  —  a  foot 
or  more  of  leaves,  straw,  or  some  clean  litter. 
There  is  nothing  better  than  leaves,  which  cost 
only  the  gathering.  From  now  till  April,  when 
you  want  a  head  or  more  of  celery,  open  the 
trench  at  the  lower  end,  and  take  out  the  crisp 
white  or  golden  heads,  and  thank  the  kindly 
Providence  that  planted  a  garden  as  the  best  place 
in  which  to  put  man,  and  woman  also.  * 

GARNISHING  AND   POT   HERBS. 

"  There  's  fennel  for  you  ;  there  's  rue  for  you." 
Strange  and  involuntary  is  the  law  of  association ! 
I  can  never  see  the  garnishing  and  seasoning  herbs 
of  the  garden  without  thinking  of  the  mad  words 
of  distraught  Ophelia.  I  fancy,  however,  that  we 
are  all  practical  enough  to  remember  the  savory 
soups  and  dishes  rendered  far  more  appetizing 
than  they  could  otherwise  have  been  by  these 
aromatic  and  pungent  flavors.  I  will  mention 
only  a  few  of  the  popular  sorts. 

The  seeds  of  fennel  may  be  sown  in  April  about 
three  quarters  of  an  inch  deep,  and  the  plants 
thinned  to  fifteen  inches  apart.  Cut  off  the  seed- 
stalks  to  increase  the  growth  of  foliage. 


252  THE  HOME  ACRE. 

Parsley,  like  celery  seed,  germinates  slowly,  and 
is  sometimes  about  a  month  in  making  its  ap- 
pearance. The  soil  should  therefore  be  made 
very  rich  and  fine,  and  the  seed  sown  half  an  inch 
deep,  as  early  in  spring  as  possible.  When  the 
plants  are  three  inches  high,  thin  them  to  eight 
inches  apart. 

Sweet-basil  may  be  sown  in  early  May,  and  the 
plants  thinned  to  one  foot  apart.  The  seeds  of 
sweet-marjoram  are  very  minute,  and  must  be 
covered  very  thinly  with  soil  finely  pulverized; 
sow  in  April  or  May,  when  the  ground  is  in  the 
best  condition.  Sage  is  easily  raised  from  seeds 
sown  an  inch  deep  the  latter  part  of  April;  let 
the  soil  be  warm  and  rich  ;  let  the  plants  stand 
about  one  foot  apart  in  the  row.  Thyme  and 
summer-savory  require  about  the  same  treatment 
as  sage.  I  find  that  some  of  the  mountain  mints 
growing  wild  are  quite  as  aromatic  and  appetizing 
as  many  of  these  garden  herbs. 
>  -Vv 

\^       or  THE          ' 

UNIVERSITY 


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